Telephony

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment of an improvement to telephony, a solution to the problem of communicating to “the many” is made by enabling telecommunications service providers to: accept digital dialog as well as conventional dialog, enable augmented phone service to be added to conventional phone services, handle non-calls in addition to calls, and turn content into content-of-interest.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/391,146 filed Feb. 23, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,498,290 issued Jul.30, 2013, which application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/030,837 filed Feb. 22, 2008; U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/082,354 filed Jul. 21, 2008; and U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/119,473 filed Dec. 3, 2008, all of which applicationsare incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Despite advances in telecommunications, there is still no practical wayto deliver individualized and personalized messages to “the many”:

-   -   one-to-many,    -   many-to-one, and    -   many-to-many.

There have been three great migrations in human history: the migrationfrom hunting to growing (the Agricultural Age), the migration fromgrowing to the city (the Industrial Age), and the migration from thefactory floor to the office (the Information Age). Each migration wasmade on the backs of new technologies and new inventions. While the moveinto the Information Age rests on a base of ever-increasing amounts ofprocessing capacity and available bandwidth, the widespread assimilationof more and more information first moved on layers of analog inventionsand technologies—hearing and seeing from far away (telegraph, telephone,radio and television). Today, the Information Age is moving on wired andwireless digital technologies—being able to process what we see, hear,and know (computing). However, whether analog or digital, wired orwireless, deep down, it must be pointed out that the informationrevolution is not about technology working with data but about peopleworking with knowledge; and people's minds can only make use of as muchknowledge as their brains can absorb.

The history of inventions in telegraphy and telephony is a path andprocess of continually improving the manner and method of transmitting“dialog” —first human-to-human and then computer-to-computer. “Dialog”is the discourse or exchange of information between people and/orcomputers. First there were the mechanical devices like megaphones,followed later by electronic devices to amplify sound and transmitpictures. Then telegraph and telephone “lines” were strung to transmit“dispatches” (dots and dashes) and “calls” (varying amplitudes on anelectric current) encoded and decoded with microphones and speakers andmore recently with “modems” on either end of the line connection. Withthe introduction of less expensive microprocessors into telephoneexchanges (carriers can cut their capital investment by 50% and thecosts of running their network by 30%), the direction of thisdevelopment path has changed, and the type of problems encountered onthis new digital path are fundamentally different from those previouslyencountered.

Dialog to Digital Dialog

The obstacles to upgrade dialog to digital dialog, however, are moorednot only in the vast depths of communications technology and thelimitations of existing infrastructure, but also in our imperfectunderstanding of ourselves and our impulse to communicate. Because it'snot natural, to engage in digital dialog must be made to seem natural.

Certainly it is the superior performance and economy of digitaltechnologies that underlie the massive migration to digitally-processedinformation, digital tools, and digital devices. People have long valuedprocessed information.

Digital computing enables us to do traditional things in a new way: wordprocessors have replaced typewriters, spreadsheets have replaced ledgersheets, databases have replaced filing cabinets, and the computer screenhas replaced the wooden desktop. However, it takes a deep understandingof the past and current state of telecommunications, the technologiesinvolved, the forces at work, and the issues which must be addressedduring this digital migration before it is possible to integrate onto asingle platform the convenience and reach of telephony to theexponential increase of digital information. It is precisely becausedigital technologies and information can be interconnected in an almostlimitless number of ways that the way forward depends on locking in to acommon process, locking in to a universal method of matching people tocontent, and locking in to a single platform on which digital dialog isprocessed.

The stakes are high. Indications abound that digital dialog—the kind ofcommunication that exists where phones and the Internet converge—willcontinue to reorganize the way people do ordinary things. As the twoworlds converge, the “infosphere” —the world of connectedinformation—expands. The part of the infosphere which is reachable byphone, personal digital device (PDA), or personal computer (PC)represents a potentially rich source of digital dialog. In this“telesphere” (the successor to telegraphy and telephony) is theopportunity to communicate differently (inform, sell, promote, update),shop differently, study differently, work differently, bank differently,or just browse differently. While telecommunications firms have enabledus to reach the Internet from anywhere—from home, from the office, atschool, or on the move—for many things and for many reasons, we use lesstime, less energy, and less money if we could use the phone system andthe Internet to handle digital dialog.

On the whole, digital dialog is synchronous—you say something thensomebody else says something—but asynchronous dialog in the form ofvoice messaging, faxing, and text messaging has significantly increasedtraffic. Email is the biggest form of two-way asynchronous dialog usedon a mass scale. The trouble is that, in using it, users are exposed toundifferentiated junk communication—the inbox is too full. The Web isasynchronous, and its use as a carrier of information is growing. Thetransfer of information is triggered by a visit, a click, or beginningan online session. Choices are saved so information can be personalizedand delivered in the form of interesting views (information you can see)and messages (information you can read or hear).

With the three forms of communication and the many modes of dialogconverging onto a common digitally-based packet-switched platform—andthe capability of capturing more kinds of dialog—a need has emerged fora more efficient way to sort, deliver, manage, and store the trafficentering the system.

The opportunity to make improvements in telephony comes because of themigration to a digital platform. Like analog signals, digital signalsare a representational notation. In other words, signals in the circuitare analogous to signals outside the circuit which act on a transferringmembrane (in the case of digital signals, the digital circuit can bemade to be analogous). Unlike analog signals, which are analogous to theforces impressed on it, a digital signal—like all digitized data—is adefined state, meaning that it can be assigned any meaning making itavailable for processing in ways only limited by the imagination, thecapacities of the system, and the programming tools to process it.

A new method for handling digitally-based traffic is needed in thedigital world because the content isn't transmitted as patterns in thefrequency of the circuit like they are in the analog world. In thedigital world, information in the circuit is packaged and described,making it possible to manipulate not only the content but the contextbefore it is decoded and delivered to the receiver. The response from adigital dialog system can be significantly enriched and enhanced.

However, the migration to digital comes with as much complexity asopportunity. Digital dialog is a spectacularly complex feat—theequivalent of inserting a rudimentary brain between the eyes/ears andthe mouth—where solutions must be found for the full range of digitalcomplexity:

-   -   baseline complexity—our seeing/hearing, brain and speech        circuits are biological mechanisms evolved to deal with images        carried by light vibrations and sound carried by air vibrations.        In order to transmit dialog, telecommunications inventions have,        on the whole, focused on improving the reliability and fidelity        in reproducing sounds and images at some remote location.    -   detail complexity—there are more details in the system than can        be held in the “brain” at one time, so a structure, an order,        and a process must be implemented to keep the details from        overwhelming the system.    -   dynamic complexity—the fact that something affecting one part of        the system is designed to (or unintentionally) affect other        parts of the system even though they are separated in space and        time creates dynamic complications which can overwhelm the        system.    -   essential complexity—some components, factors, and forces that        operate in and on the system are essential—they cannot be        removed without the system failing—and so they cannot be        ignored.

It is because digital dialog is a multi-level, multi-platform,multi-media exchange of information that a full-service, turnkey digitaldialog management system is the hairball of complexities that it is. Atthe moment, digital life is a bit uncivilized. The phone system lacks anunderlying process to allow it to be used for calls and non-calls alike.Because people want access to increasing amounts of processedinformation, the phone system should and can respond—people shouldn'tfeel like nomads, stranded in a digital world.

To understand the place the disclosed systems and methods occupies inthe evolution of telecommunications, a brief background is helpful.

The evolution of dialog to digital dialog is rather well known, butmigrating from one communication platform to the next proceeded oninventions fashioned from emerging technologies. Michael Faraday'selectromagnet split person-to-person speech and sight—which was untilthen processed by our one brain—into two paths of development(telegraphy and telephony) were developed to carry messages and sound,and television was later developed to carry images. It wasn't until thedevelopment of the World Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee that sound andimages would be joined again (but without a “brain” to connect them). Soin the beginning, sound was directly perceived: sound—using airvibrations.

At a distance, sound can only be “heard” indirectly (tele+phone, orsound) using wires (or “lines”) and electricity. The “sound” was carriedin and by:

-   -   code—dots and dashes in a connected circuit,    -   frequencies—modulating audio frequencies, or    -   logic—addresses in header registers.

Working from Faraday's invention, Samuel F. B. Morse developed theelectromagnetic telegraph and his system of dots and dashes in 1832.This system was improved upon by Alexander Graham Bell with hisinvention of the telephone, patented in 1876, and improved yet again in2007 by the substance of the present disclosure.

Information has always been a part of our world but, until recently, ithas been tied too tightly to the material world to process itexternally. Over time, however, nature has developed a biologicalprocess of seeing and talking to process information. The ears, brain,and voice circuit has been created biologically to process objectivenotions (what's “out there”) into a “projection” (a reflection of ourinternal state outwardly expressed) or into feedback and response.

Before Morse, messages and information were conveyed visually, using“semaphore” systems of flags or lights. The government offered a prizeof $30,000 for a workable proposal to link the Atlantic coast by“telegraph”, never anticipating electricity's role. Princeton's JosephHenry had, in 1831, rang a bell at a distance by opening and closing anelectric circuit, suggesting the idea of an electric telegraph. It tooktwelve years, but Morse persevered until the government was won overwith his “astonishing invention”.

During his work on the telegraph, Morse needed political help to obtainsupport from Congress as much as he required technical and financialassistance. By sharing ownership of sixteen shares in a future telegraphsystem with a congressman (four shares), technician (two shares), andprofessor of science—Joseph Henry's protégé—(one share), Morse (nineshares) forged an alliance that would allow him eventually to succeed inclaiming the $30,000 government prize.

What makes these technologies valuable is that they solve a problem thatis important to other people by nudging then-existing resources into onebucket. In other words, in these worlds, monopoly works. Morse securedhis monopoly by enlisting the support of politicians and government in away impossible to do just 40 years later when Alexander Graham Bell wasgranted a patent-monopoly for his “harmonic telegraph”. Once thegovernment had strung lines everywhere for the telegraph, AlexanderGraham Bell out-maneuvered Western Union, Thomas Edison, and Joshua Greyto put his “harmonic” or “talking” telegraphs at either end of atelegraph line. He survived 800 challenges to his 14 Mar. 1876 patentprimarily because his well-to-do and well-connectedfather-in-law-cum-investor hated the Western Union monopoly and set outwith Bell to establish their own.

The 29-year-old Bell already held two patents financed by hisfather-in-law: one for a method of multiple telegraphy, and another fortwo ways to produce the intermittent current necessary to carrytelegraphic signals (by actually making and breaking contact or byalternately increasing and diminishing the intensity of the currentwithout actually breaking the circuit). Knowing how to modulate thecurrent in a closed circuit, it was a relatively small step to modulatethe frequency instead; and when he succeeded, Bell abandoned his effortsto improve code-based telegraphy and pushed ahead to use electricity tocarry voice dialog and, in the process, turned telegraphy intotelephony.

Following the divorce of sound and image processing technologies in1876, the convergence of voice and image onto a single platform wouldn'tbe made possible until 1991, when Tim Berners-Lee developed the WorldWide Web (WWW) and it was released by CERN, an event many consider to bethe most important development to date in the Internet world. The Webwas originally developed to provide a distributed hypermedia system toprovide easy access to any form of information anywhere in the world,and it has revolutionized modern communications and even our way of life(according to many).

The impact the Internet has made on telephony—and will continue to makein interactive communications—is so great that a whole new type ofcommunications is emerging. The world of telephony is becoming thetelesphere, a single place where calls and non-calls can be resolved.The implications of migrating from natural to analog to digital devicesand abstract representations or “digital” information is what enablesthe transmission of calls and non-calls. It is the exponential explosionof information that is driving up non-call traffic.

It is likely that trade and commerce are the primary forces thatseparate information from its material or objective side, creating aworld solely of information. In computer processing, Moore's Law, aformula put forward by Gordon Moore, one of the founders of Intel, hasdriven the computer industry for over 20 years: every 18 months,processing power doubles and costs drop in half. Thistechnological/commercial maxim has led businesses to “go digital”, andthere is no reversing this trend.

The use of web pages in business has its own drivers. In its simpleform, business uses web pages to store and transport information becausemoving information over the Internet is, by the Internet's very design,the least expensive way to move information across the desktops in anoffice or across the world. The reason this is so is based on thewell-known principles of Information Theory which explain the hugeincrease in information flows as being the natural consequence ofglobalization, or the tendency of increasing production to be locatedfurther and further away from ultimate customers. The so-calledKnowledge Formula, developed by Boeing in the late 1940's to explain howit doubled its production of aircraft wings for the war until it reached35,000 per year, is 2× volume leads to ⅓rd the costs, and vice versa.Because most of what constitutes business is merely information (set-up,capitalization of equipment and activities, information about productsfor sales and marketing uses, and payment itself) in different forms,and because globalization requires commerce to move information tocustomers at the lowest possible costs, businesses are simply forcedinto adopting the Internet as a medium for communication (websites,email, and e-commerce).

Web pages are expected to carry the bulk of information in theInformation Age. For every $5 spent in production in 1880, only $1 wasspent handling information (mostly for sales and marketing materials).In 1984, the ratio of spending in production to information was 1:1; in1997, it was 1:2; and in 2005 it was 1:5.

With the development of digital computers, increases in bandwidth andprocessing speed have been used by software developers—using programinstructions and data—to deliver useful applications to home and office,increasing convenience and efficiencies.

This growth in the infosphere is outpacing the growth of telephony.Non-calls are bypassing the phone system because there is no place inthe telephone system to route, display, playback, manage, and store evena portion of available (connected) information pouring into theinfosphere.

So, as we produce and consume ever more information, the communicationsplatform supporting this transfer of content must be upgraded to meetdemand. At first, language and the graphic arts were employed to processthis freed information. Artwork led to advertising which (crossing thedigital divide) led to brochureware and then to websites. Even in thedigital age, the production and use of paper has skyrocketed. Gradually,however, technology is taking over the amplification, distribution, andprocessing of information. Notions once processed directly by biologicalcomponents are now processed indirectly by technological componentsinstead. This trend from paper to paperless is being carried out in themarketplace, workplaces, and classrooms around the world. In addition tocapturing written information, the Internet is also the platform forinteractive “chat” and social networks—what the dotcom industry callsWeb 2.0.

It's not just the Internet that is benefiting from the surge in non-calltraffic. The phone system is capturing some of that non-call dialog aswell. Phone companies directly capture fax, paging, and texting andindirectly capture email and web traffic by providing “backbone”capacity for dotcom customers.

Today, even as the phone system and the Internet are converging, perhapsthe biggest source of non-call traffic is just beginning to enter themarketplace: personalized information. Computer, software, and dotcomcompanies all have a stake in the rush for personalized information.Some are putting out phone-like devices; one is starting its own phonenetwork. Phone companies are pushing back too. They're adding new phoneservices: voice messaging, Internet calling, caller-ID, call-blocking,conferencing, call forwarding, text-to-voice, picture-taking,photo-swapping, downloading (music), group alerts, global positioning(GPS), and map services.

While all of the above computer, Internet, and telephone services havegreatly added to the ability to communicate, only the mostelectronically literate persons can utilize their power. For manypeople, the electronic options are overwhelming and add a complexity tolife that is at the least stressful, and at sometimes destabilizing.Therefore, it would be highly desirable if an apparatus and method wereavailable that allowed the average person to make sense of all of thistechnology and utilize its full power. If this method and apparatus alsoreduced stress levels and even enhanced the individual's security, itwould be an important advance in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of an improvement to telephony, herein known as“Device Independent Unified Contact System”, a solution to the problemof communicating to “the many” is made by enabling telecommunicationsservice providers to: accept digital dialog as well as conventionaldialog, enable augmented phone service to be added to conventional phoneservices, handle non-calls in addition to calls, and turn content intocontent-of-interest.

One embodiment the improvement to telephony provides modules, switches,and components that uses phone numbers as online addresses which can beaccessed by any device connected to the Internet; by using the * and #keys (or other keys and/or key combinations) on the phone keypad toaccess locations within the phone system and activate specific behaviorsand functions; using three real-worldmetaphors-made-into-user-interfaces placed on top of aspecially-modified phone-and-Internet browser as navigational andorganizational tools form matching incoming notions to outgoing feedbackstored within the phone system.

Through these modules, switches, and components, secure, private,protected, protectable; device-independent; and phone and Internetaccessible, convergent “spaces” (or virtual environments) within thephone system are provided, which allow users to receive, send, manage,and store non-calls, digital information, and personalized content notcurrently handled in the telephony system.

A system and procedure to match notions is employed that enter a brandedtelecommunications network with appropriate feedback by: convertingnumbers as proxies for people and things into phone-accessibleaddresses. The system converts incoming notions into digitalinstructions carried to a point in the system where the instructions areprocessed. All content entering the system or having content outside thesystem is tagged and indexed by system agents by inserting headerregisters into each of the data strands of instructions and content.Header registers are populated with pointers to the content. Theinstructions and pointers are transported as parameters and values tolocations within the system where “rules” are applied. Notions arematched to feedback using the instructions, rules, pointers, andindexes, and values in the header registers are converted back topointers to feedback content. Pointers linked to content (nowcontent-of-interest) are assembled into views and messages and finallydelivered to a location within the network for immediate display orplayback, for delivery to a device connected to the network, for furtherprocessing, and/or to be organized and/or stored and/or transferred toother addresses within the network.

The system foresees and accelerates the growth of the “infosphere”within the telephony system, a virtual world held together byuser-connected information. In one embodiment of a method of connectingusers and information, the method includes moving in and out of a“dialog space” within the non-call network where all types ofsynchronous, asynchronous, and intermittent dialog can take place. Themethod further includes using notions and feedback during a sessionconnection to move around in and manipulate the dialog space. The methodfurther includes amplifying content not only by increasing or targetingthe number and type of addressees or recipients but by “contextualizing”the content. Additionally, the method includes adjusting the context ofthe dialog space by embedding content into various customizable andlinked environments.

The system derives many benefits from the use of an address-matchingmethod to resolve non-calls in the telephone systems, including but notlimited to that the system:

-   -   provides high-speed and high-volume, low-cost digital dialog        transmission,    -   transmits a larger number of user dialogs simultaneously in the        same call or non-call session,    -   diverts non-call traffic to excess capacities in the phone        system,    -   delivers information quickly (the number one reason that 169.7        million people in the USA say they use the Internet),    -   uses the universal and interconnected phone system to scale up        interactive processes (as opposed to routine processes which are        well-handled by data processing technologies),    -   repurposes the phone system to “push” calls and non-calls to        locations in the network where feedback can be “pulled” from the        system by users as personalized information,    -   gives users a short channel (measured in time, access, effort,        and convenience) of communication for one-way or interactive        dialog between person-to-person, person-to-people,        people-to-person, or any combination of person, people, and        machine or computing device,    -   allows users to personalize the look and feel of their digital        space, customize contextual components of outgoing and incoming        messages, and specify how outgoing and incoming content is        delivered,    -   enables users to control how content is organized and stored (by        activity, topic, or macro, for example, rather than by subject),    -   presents users with a practical way to mass deliver        individualized and personalized views and messages,    -   makes dialog more effective, giving addressors the ability to        contextualize digital dialog in order to effect a better        response from addressees, and    -   replaces paper-based media with address-based digital content        assembly, promoting “paperless” solutions for a wide variety of        personal, business, organizational, work, and educational        activities.

In one embodiment, a method of communicating non-call messages over atelephone network includes receiving a coded signal at a switch in saidtelephone network, said coded signal comprising a plurality ofindividual code signals, said plurality of individual code signalsincluding a plurality of alphanumeric signals, each said alphanumericsignal corresponding to an alphanumeric symbol associated with aselected telephone number. In other words, each phone number isassociated with its twin e-number. The method further includeselectronically analyzing said coded signal, and connecting said switchto a predetermined digital circuit if said coded signal comprises asignal selected from the group consisting of: a # signal or a * signalinterspersed between two of said alphanumeric signals corresponding tosaid alphanumeric telephone number symbols; an Internet protocoladdress; a preprogrammed speed dial signal; and a signal indicating thatany key has been held down. In other words, the system looks for a codedsignal (* or # key) in a number entered by a user and in response opensa predetermined digital circuit.

An additional feature includes that the coded signal is followed by anon-call information signal and said connecting directs said non-callinformation signal to said predetermined digital circuit.

In one embodiment, a non-call processing system configured to handlenon-calls originating from a voice telephone network includes a signalanalysis module within the voice telephone network configured toidentify a non-call in the voice telephone network, based on theoccurrence of an indicator and based on the identification, and routethe non-call to a distribution circuit. The system further includes adistribution circuit, configured to receive the non-call and transmitthe non-call to a node, and a node, configured to receive and storenon-calls for retrieval. In one alternative, the system further includesa filtering and interaction module, located at the node, for filteringthe non-call according to a rule set. In another alternative, the systemfurther includes the filtering and interaction module which isconfigured to respond to voice commands of the user. In anotheralternative, the filtering and interaction module is configured toprocess user speech, compare to known characteristics and history of theuser, and determine an action based on the user speech and the knowncharacteristics and history. In another alternative, the node isaccessible via the Internet. In another alternative, the node isaccessible via a PSTN telephone. In another alternative, the node isaccessible via a VoIP system. In another alternative, the indicator isa * key added to any point of a standard telephone number.

In yet another alternative, the indicator is a # key added to any pointof a standard telephone number. Alternatively, the node is a pHome node,and the pHome node includes modules for creation of a personalizedenvironment for the user, accessible by the user and others individualsvia the Internet. In yet another alternative, the pHome node isaccessible via a PSTN system as an entry point for the user and theother individuals. In yet another alternative, the pHome node isaccessible via a wireless phone system as an entry point for the userand the other individuals. In another alternative, the personalizedenvironment includes a virtual room.

Alternatively, the personalized environment includes virtual objects andcontent placed by the user. In yet another alternative, the content is afeed from a content source. Alternatively, the user receives targetedcontent at the pHome node. Alternatively, the system further includes afiltering and interaction module, located at the node, for filtering thenon-call according to a rule set. In another alternative, the filteringand interaction module limits the access of the other individuals to thepHome node. In another alternative, the filtering and interaction modulelimits the access of content providers to the pHome node. In anotheralternative, the filtering and interaction module limits the access ofvendors to the pHome node.

In one alternative, the signal analysis module is located in a PSTNswitch. In another alternative, a non-call is a call originating from aperson that is asynchronous with the access to the non-call by theintended recipient. In another alternative, the node stores thenon-call. In another alternative, the filtering and interaction moduleis configured to resolve a notion expressed in the non-call.Alternatively, the notion is an indication by a user for desired action.In another alternative, the desired action is the provision of content.In another alternative, the desired action is access to the node. Inanother alternative, the desired action is the receipt of content fromthe user. In yet another alternative, the filtering and interactionmodule is configured to provide prompts to the user to resolve thenotion. In another alternative, the filtering and interaction module isconfigured to store content at the node provided by the user.

In another embodiment, a device independent contact system, configuredto handle access from a plurality of access networks including voicetelephone networks, cable television, wireless telephone, and theInternet, includes a voice telephone signal analysis module within avoice telephone network configured to identify a first non-call in thevoice telephone network, based on the occurrence of a first indicatorand, based on the identification, route the first non-call to adistribution circuit. The system further includes a distributioncircuit, configured to receive the first non-call and transmit the firstnon-call to a node, and a node, configured to receive and storenon-calls for retrieval. Alternatively, the system further includes awireless telephone signal analysis module within a wireless telephonenetwork configured to identify a second non-call in the wirelesstelephone network, based on the occurrence of a second indicator and,based on the identification, route the non-call to the distributioncircuit, wherein the distribution circuit is configured to receive thesecond non-call and transmit the second non-call to the storage node.Alternatively, the system further includes a cable television signalanalysis module within a cable television network configured to identifya second non-call in the cable television network, based on theoccurrence of a second indicator and, based on the identification, routethe non-call to the distribution circuit, wherein the distributioncircuit is configured to receive the second non-call and transmit thesecond non-call to the storage node.

In one embodiment of a method for processing non-calls originating froma voice telephone network, the method includes identifying non-calls inthe voice telephone network based on the occurrence of an indicator at asignal analysis module within the voice telephone. The method furtherincludes, based on the identifying, routing the non-call to adistribution circuit. The method additionally includes receiving thenon-call at the distribution circuit, transmitting the non-call from thedistribution circuit to a node, and receiving the non-call at the node.In one alternative, the node is one of a plurality of nodes. In anotheralternative, the method further includes identifying the node of theplurality of nodes based on a unique identifier. In another alternative,the unique identifier is a telephone number. In another alternative, theindicator is a * key added to any point of a standard telephone number.In yet another alternative, the indicator is a # key added to any pointof a standard telephone number. In another alternative, the method alsoincludes interacting with a user originating the non-call at a filteringand interaction module, located at the node. In another alternative, thefiltering and interaction module is configured to respond to voicecommands of the user. In yet another alternative, the filtering andinteraction module is configured to process user speech, compare toknown characteristics and history of the user, and determine an actionbased on the user speech and the known characteristics and history.

In another alternative, the method also includes creating a record ofinteractions of the user with the filtering and interaction module. Inanother alternative, the method also includes receiving a notionexpressed in the non-call from the user, and resolving the notionaccording to rules in the filtering and interaction module. In anotheralternative, the rules are updated based on a record of interactions ofthe user with the filtering and interaction module. In yet anotheralternative, the notion is an indication by the user for desired action.In yet another alternative, the desired action is the provision ofcontent. In yet another alternative, the desired action is access to thenode. In another alternative, the desired action is the receipt ofcontent from the user. Alternatively, the filtering and interactionmodule is configured to provide prompts to the user to resolve thenotion. Alternatively, the filtering and interaction module isconfigured to store content at the node provided by the user.

In another embodiment, a method for providing an online home for a user,the online home presented to the user and visitors via a plurality ofinterfaces, includes presenting to the user a plurality of virtualrooms, each room having predefined characteristics and functions. Themethod further includes presenting a plurality of virtual objects, eachobject having predefined functions and characteristics. The method alsoincludes providing access to the online home to the user via a varietyof access networking including the Internet and a voice telephonenetwork. The method additionally includes receiving inputs from the userand activating functions of the plurality of virtual rooms and theplurality of virtual objects. In one alternative, the inputs are textinputs by the user. In another alternative, the inputs are click streamdata input by the user. In yet another alternative, the inputs areverbal commands of the user. In another alternative, the inputs arereceived via a PSTN. In yet another alternative, the inputs are receivedvia a voice telephone network. Alternatively, the presenting is realizedby spoken word. Alternatively, the spoken word is computer generated. Inanother alternative, the presenting is realized by a GUI. Alternatively,the user may modify the predefined characteristics and functions of theplurality of virtual rooms and the plurality of virtual objects.

In another alternative, the method further includes processing theinputs using an interaction and filtering module. In anotheralternative, the method further includes limiting access to theplurality of virtual rooms to the visitors, according to the inputs.Alternatively, the plurality of objects include a to-do list.Alternatively, the plurality of objects include a virtual checkbook thatallows the user access to bank account information. In yet anotheralternative, the virtual checkbook allows for the payment of bills.Alternatively, the plurality of objects include a virtual bulletin boardwhere the user and the visitors may leave messages. In anotheralternative, the user may limit the access of visitors who are relatedto commercial entities. In another alternative, a default settingincludes disallowing the access of commercial entities.

In another embodiment, a system for providing an online home for a user,the online home presented to the user and visitors via a plurality ofinterfaces, includes a plurality of virtual rooms, each room of theplurality having predefined characteristics and functions. The systemfurther includes a plurality of virtual objects, located in theplurality of virtual rooms, the virtual objects having predefinedfunctions and characteristics. The system also includes an interactionand filtering module configured to receive inputs from the user andactivate functions of the plurality of virtual rooms and the pluralityof virtual objects.

In another embodiment, a system for resolving non-calls includes a firstmodule, configured to mark non-calls and route the non-calls into atelesphere to be resolved, wherein the non-calls are determined by theoccurrence of an indicator consisting of a group including: a * key onthe phone keypad, a # key on the phone keypad, and a www. [number] in anInternet browser. The system further includes a second module,configured to pre-link content in the Internet to a plurality of digitalvoice and visual interfaces by indexing pointers to each locationassociated with the content. The system further includes a third module,configured to convert incoming clicks, interactive voice functions(IVF), and keypad sequences into notions. The system further includes afourth module, being an assembly point where tokens are processed usingdata analytics into notion header registers, wherein each notion has anotion header register, and each of the tokens is inserted into acorresponding notion. The system further includes a fifth module,configured to direct content-of-interest to a first digital voice andvisual interface responsive to the notions. In one alternative, thepre-linked content includes address pointers of an activity matrix. Inanother alternative, the pre-linked content is encoded into digitalloops embedded into a header register of allcontent-of-potential-interest. Alternatively, notions are augmented withtendencies retrieved from user profiles. In another alternative, notionsare augmented with tendencies retrieved from past activity.Alternatively, notions are augmented with tendencies retrieved from datamining. In another alternative, the tendencies are embedded into thenotion header registers. In yet another alternative, thecontent-of-interest is determined by correlating the digital loops andthe tendencies to the first digital voice and visual interface.Alternatively, the content-of-interest is stored in a user's activitymatrix to be delivered later.

In one embodiment, a method for resolving non-calls includes marking androuting non-calls into a telesphere to be resolved using a first module,wherein the non-calls are determined by the occurrence of an indicatorconsisting of a group including: a * key on the phone keypad, a # key onthe phone keypad, and a www. [number] in an Internet browser. The methodfurther includes pre-linking content in the Internet to a plurality ofdigital voice and visual interfaces by indexing pointers to eachlocation associated with the content using a second module. The methodfurther includes converting incoming clicks, interactive voice functions(IVF), and keypad sequences into notions using a third module.Additionally, the method includes assembling tokens using a fourthmodule, the assembling using data analytics. The method also includesinserting the tokens into a plurality of notion header registers usingthe fourth module, wherein each notion has a notion header register andeach of the tokens is inserted into a corresponding notion. The methodfurther includes directing content-of-interest to a first digital voiceand visual interface responsive to the notions. In one alternative, thepre-linked content includes address pointers of an activity matrix. Inanother alternative, the method further includes encoding the pre-linkedcontent into digital loops embedded into a header register of allcontent-of-potential-interest. In another alternative, the methodfurther includes augmenting the notions with tendencies retrieved fromuser profiles. In another alternative, the method further includesaugmenting the notions with tendencies retrieved from past activity. Inanother alternative, the method further includes augmenting the notionswith tendencies retrieved from data mining. In another alternative, themethod further includes embedding the tendencies into the notion headerregisters. In another alternative, the method further includescorrelating the digital loops and the tendencies to the first digitalvoice and visual interface to determine the content-of-interest. In yetanother alternative, the content-of-interest is stored in a user'sactivity matrix to be delivered later.

These embodiments are mentioned not to limit or define the systems andmethods disclosed but to provide examples of embodiments of the systemsand methods to aid understanding thereof. Embodiments are discussed inthe Detailed Description, and advantages offered by various embodimentsof the systems and methods may be further understood by examining theDetailed Description and Drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of one embodiment of the Device Independent UnifiedContact System;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of one embodiment of an emergency alert system;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of one embodiment of the interaction betweenconsumers and producers;

FIG. 4 is one embodiment of message flow in a pAlert system;

FIG. 5 is a system diagram for the components of one embodiment ofpBrain;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of one embodiment of an IMS architecture;

FIG. 7 is a diagram of the flow of notions in one embodiment of a systemfor processing notions;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of the flow of notions in another embodiment of asystem for processing notions;

FIG. 9 is a system diagram for one embodiment of a system including anIMS, a pBrain, and an interface to the pWorld Server;

FIG. 10 is a system diagram for one embodiment of a pHome system;

FIG. 11 is a system diagram for one embodiment of an emergency alertsystem;

FIG. 12 is a geographical map with a predicted storm path indicated onthe map;

FIG. 13 is a depiction of one embodiment of geofencing an alert;

FIG. 14 is a depiction of another embodiment of geofencing an alert;

FIG. 15 is a depiction of another embodiment of geofencing an alert;

FIG. 16 is a depiction of one embodiment of triangulation;

FIG. 17 is a flow chart for one embodiment of pAlert Authentication;

FIG. 18 is a flow chart for one embodiment of pAlert service flow;

FIG. 19 is a depiction of one embodiment of an online home;

FIG. 20 is a graphical depiction of one embodiment of a pHome interface;

FIG. 21 is a system diagram of one embodiment of pHome;

FIG. 22 is a graphical depiction of another embodiment of a pHomeinterface;

FIG. 23 is a graphical depiction of another embodiment of a pHomeinterface;

FIG. 24 is one embodiment of geolocation on a map;

FIG. 25 is a graphical depiction of another embodiment of a pHomeinterface;

FIG. 26 is a layer diagram of one embodiment of pHome;

FIG. 27 is a system diagram of one embodiment of pHome;

FIG. 28 is a component and deployment diagram of one embodiment ofpHome;

FIG. 29 is a use case diagram of one embodiment of pHome;

FIG. 30 is a component and deployment diagram of another embodiment ofpHome;

FIG. 31 is a sequence diagram for one embodiment of pHome;

FIG. 32 is a use case diagram for one embodiment of pButler; and

FIG. 33 is a flow chart for one embodiment of routing a non-call.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

True digital dialog is an interactive process that is as effective andemotionally satisfying as having a conversation. Like its real worldcounterpart, “dialog” (from dia+logos, or the meaning that existsbetween two), digital dialog must be built from an accessible place inthe middle: a “teleplace”. The improvement in telephony is not aboutwhat people can do with a phone or on the Internet—e.g., stream videoand audio, make long-distance calls, email, share files, get news,messages, etc.—it is a way to put a centerpoint in the phone system toconnect better with our children, our employees and bosses, our market,our teachers, our friends, and would-be customers. This centerpoint,this telesite, is a convenient place to have digital content-of-interest(COI) delivered anytime day or night. Based on voice and data IP, atelespace links broadcast and interactive media into a single low-costCOI media where people and companies who have information they want todistribute can also collect information or feedback, in other words, adigital dialog.

Digital dialog is designed to combine the best features of the telephone(the king of synchronous dialog) and the Internet (the king ofasynchronous dialog) at a time when both voice and data are handled andprocessed by the same digital protocol. This TCP/IP (packet-switchingprotocol) also handles intermittent communication, the third form ofdigital dialog: dialog that is triggered by an event (alarms, notices,warnings, reminders, expirations, instructions, help, etc.). Astraditional circuit-based protocols are being replaced by packet-basedprotocols, formerly disparate modes of “dialog” like texting, emailing,photo capture and exchange, Internet calling (Voice over InternetProtocol or VoIP), walkie-talkie exchanges, etc., can now beaccommodated on the same telecommunications platform.

This is possible because, in a digital world, information is reduced toa state in which logical operations can be performed on it. This stateis called the binary state and often referred to as yes/no, 0/1, base-2,on/off. Communication in a digital world, then, is dialog reduced to abinary state. Because of this transformation, information becomescomputable. The advantages of reducing dialog to a digital form aremany: not just the efficiencies and speed at which digital dialog can bedelivered, but being computable means that digital dialog can beprocessed. The dialog can be diverted into a digital “brain” to assemblethe appropriate feedback and deliver it through the appropriate channelsto the appropriate digital dialog layers.

Making dialog computable makes it possible for the phone system tocapture a whole new form of dialog because, while we think of dialog astalking with others, true digital dialog makes the phone system aplatform on which we can talk to ourselves (which we do constantly)about ourselves; it is a platform for all internal and externalcommunications—what we like and what we need to know. In short, truedigital dialog is interesting. Moreover, digital dialog makes itpossible to talk to “things”.

With a nudge, however, phone companies can tilt the playing field andtip practically all non-call information into the phone system. Byhosting people's telephone numbers as online addresses—supplying userswith their own place online—phone companies can become the digital ears,digital eyes, digital brain, and digital voice for anyone with a phonenumber and has heard of the Internet.

With that nudge, normal dialog can finally become true digital dialog.

In one embodiment, the system uses software and existing communicationstechnologies to turn today's phone system into a new phone “network”that sends and delivers “non-calls” or personalized communication ofeither voice, video, or data. Research shows that human beings—male andfemale—think most about relationships. Relationships are maintainedmostly by personalized communication; that is, information that ispertinent to the one being addressed in the hopes of receiving pertinentinformation (or “feedback”) in return. The measure of personalizedinformation is “interest”; in other words, the ability of theinformation being communicated to focus and maintain our attention. Ingeneral, more interesting information is also more valuable information.Monetizing this value, however, has proved to be elusive. There is nogeneral method or process to communicate personalized information.Personalized information comes with more interaction. What preventsbroadcast, cable, and satellite companies from global dominance incontent delivery is their respective platform's in-built lack ofinteractivity (or long latency if interactivity can be achieved). Unlikebroadcast, cable, and satellite companies, phone companies are theundisputed kings of interactivity measured by the total amount ofinformation flowing in its channels. Consider this: In a 2003 BerkeleyStudy, “Information flows through electronic channels—telephone, radio,TV, and the Internet—contained almost 18 exabytes of new information in2002, three and a half times more than is recorded in storage media.Ninety-eight percent of this total is the information sent and receivedin telephone calls—including both voice and data on both fixed lines andwireless” (source: UC Berkeley's School of Information Management andSystems, “How Much Information? 2003”, Executive Summary, page 3). Anyattempt to capture information flows and be the world's largestinformation exchange must include the phone companies.

Until now, the communications industry has been divided into two camps:channel providers and content providers. Over the years, the buildup ofcommunications technologies have by necessity been focused on thechannel or medium of communication, on maximizing the reach orpenetration of the medium, and in maximizing the message-carryingcapacity and efficiency of the channel or medium (calling, signaling,semaphores, telegraphy, and today's broadcast and telephonytechnologies). Monetizing communications channels is generally achievedthrough utility charges augmented by “bundling” various channels ofcommunication into a single payment plan. In contrast, content providerssurvive through subscription and/or advertising.

The barriers to truly personalized communication were many andformidable. There was no single point of contact for users; however, inone embodiment of the system and method, phone numbers are used asproxies for the owner of each phone number. The amount of interactivityprovided was poor; however, in one embodiment of the system and method,one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, and many-to-many messaging optionsare provided. There was no convergence of various mediums ofcommunication; however, in one embodiment of the system and method,using one common phone-centric network for all communication (fixed lineand wireless, broadcast, Internet, and text) convergence can beachieved. The ability of the user to access the system was limited;however, in one embodiment of the system and method, a method of usingordinary phone, PDA, and PC devices to access one's own and others'online addresses is provided. Furthermore, the ability to use any devicewas limited; however, in one embodiment of the system and method, anycommunication device may be used to access the system: phone, PDA,computer, etc.

Furthermore, there was too much complexity in the details of manysystems, including the legal and political implications of using phonenumbers as IP addresses and being able to deal with the most regulatedindustry on earth, as well as being able to handle all personalizedinformation flows. Also, previous systems lacked dynamic complexity;however, one embodiment of the system and method includes the ability toreceive, organize, manage, store, and retrieve content-of-interest andhandle opt-in, opt-out, and no-opt information exchanges. Additionally,previous systems lacked essential complexity; however, in oneembodiment, the system and method provides necessary flexibility,security, and privacy in broadcasting and/or receiving personalizablemessages.

The biggest barrier to personalizing information flows is the simplefact that few people (estimated at less than 2% of the people who canreach the Internet) have their own address online. Without their ownonline address, people must enter the Internet from a commonportal—typically, a search site like Google—and “go to” the sites andinformation interesting to them. It is much more efficient thatinformation is personalized and then delivered to an address. Theprocess and method of personalizing information flows begins withproviding people with an easy-to-remember-and-use online address.Telephone numbers are described by governments to be the property of theperson represented by their number (known in the industry as “singlenumber portability”). By being hyper-focused on other uses of phonenumbers, phone companies can transform themselves from simply beingcarriers of information flows into being hosts of information flows.This means that, in theory, a phone company is more valuable because ofhosting phone numbers rather than in connecting them.

The communications traffic in and out of thesephone-numbers-used-as-online-addresses as “non-calls” distinguishes themfrom the traditional “calls” handled by phone companies. Non-calls arerequests for content-of-interest (COI) in all of its forms:content-of-POTENTIAL-interest, CRUCIAL-content-of-interest,WORK-content-of-interest, and ED[ucational]-content-of-interest.Non-calls use the existing phone system to collect and deliverpersonalized communications.

I. System Overview

In one embodiment, the Device Independent Unified Contact System (shownin FIG. 1) includes a plurality of input devices, home computer 5,laptop 6, smart phone 7, cell phone 8, telephone 9 (either VoIP ortraditional PSTN), television with set-top box or other enhancedtelevision system 10, and other devices 11. Other devices 11 may includeany device that functions on a bi-directional transmission network ormay include devices that receive communications over one type of networkand send transmissions over another type of network (for example,satellite TV).

These input devices communicate with switching cloud 15. Switching cloud15 includes a myriad of networks including, but not limited to, allconventional telephone systems, all cell phone systems, other wirelesssystems, the Internet, and any other communication switching network inthe world. Logistically, in many cases, communications may travel fromthe device through multiple networks before reaching pNumber ServiceProvider 20. In many cases, communications may utilize the Internet atsome point. For example, in the case of wireless phone networks, thepNumber Service Provider 20 may be accessed through the wireless phonenetwork of the carrier and then through the Internet. Alternatively, thepNumber Service Provider 20 may be part of the wireless provider's corenetwork, or may be connected via dedicated private networks (T1, VPN,etc.). The precise access route from the input device through theswitching cloud 15 to the pNumber Service Provider is not vital to thefunction of the Device Independent Unified Contact System 1. In oneembodiment, the pNumber Service Provider 20 may host the services onservers accessible via the Internet.

The switching cloud 15 filters out all the communications associatedwith pNumbers including telephone, email, and web communications, anddirects them to pNumber distribution circuit 25. More information onfiltering will be provided in the following sections; however, thefiltering can be done by existing hardware architecture. In the contextof PSTN, filtering is provided based on the usage of the * or # eitherpreceding or following the dialing of a number. Existing switches canrecognize the usage of this character and route the call to a separateserver or other data hosting device. In the context of networks thatoperate on HTTP or a similar protocol, all messages associated withpNumbers will be sorted according to the address indicated. Thedistribution circuit 25 preferably includes a message repeater circuit30 which directs the pNumber communications to the appropriate one ofthe storage nodes 35 within the pNumber Service Provider 20. Each of thenodes 35 is capable of providing many products that develop theone-point-of-contact concept. Some of these are illustrated at node 40,and include pAlert, the governmental warning system; pHome, whichorganizes the home-oriented messages; pWork, which organizes the workrelated messages; pRetail which organizes shopping; pTravel, whichorganizes travel-related messages; pEducation, which organizes educationrelated messages; and many others. A pButler system 45 provides avariety of interface capabilities, permitting messages to be deliveredby voice, web, email, or any other future communication method.

In addition to the inputs provided by the user, a variety of content andcommerce providers may provide input to the pNumber Service Provider 20.Content servers 50, 55 and other content sources 60 provide informationto various pNumbers. Content servers 50, 55 and other content sources 60may include a variety of information sources including, but not limitedto, content available over the worldwide web, such as news, music,video, entertainment, e-commerce offers; content available fromgovernmental agencies (in the case of PAlert), etc. Since content neednot come exclusively from a single transmission medium

As show in FIG. 2, in another embodiment, system 100 includes aswitching network 140 that includes all conventional telephone systems,all cell phone systems, other wireless systems, the Internet, and anyother communication switching network in the world. There are a myriadof inputs to this network, including personal computers 110, laptopcomputers 112, smart cell phones 114, conventional cell phones 116,telephones 118, and many other communication devices 120. The system 100also includes governmental communication systems including one or moreFederal emergency communication systems 144A, 144B, with ellipses 145that there can be many of these systems. There also may be othergovernmental emergency networks indicated at 148A, 148B, and theellipses 149. These may include one or more state emergencycommunication systems, as well as many other communication systems ofgovernmental agencies, foreign governments, quasi-governmental agencies,etc.

The emergency system provides a single contact point for each person inan emergency. The expanded system addresses a much larger problem thanthe need for an easily accessed and easily remembered emergency contactpoint. Most of us are overwhelmed by the number of websites, passwords,phone numbers, etc. that are required to simply keep up with banks,schools, credit cards, loans, shopping, email, social web sites,business, etc. Life would be much easier if there was a single, easilyremembered, contact point for all information we need to operateeffectively. The expanded Sage Connex communication system provides sucha one-point-of-contact system.

Referring to the FIG. 2, one embodiment of the expanded system 100 isillustrated. System 100 includes a switching network 140 that includesall conventional telephone systems, all cell phone systems, otherwireless systems, the Internet, and any other communication switchingnetwork in the world. There are a myriad of inputs to this network,including personal computers 110, laptop computers 112, smart cellphones 114, conventional cell phones 116, telephones 118, and many othercommunication devices 120. The system 100 also includes governmentalcommunication systems including one or more Federal emergencycommunication systems 144A, 144B, with ellipses 145 that there can bemany of these systems. There also may be other governmental emergencynetworks indicated at 148A, 148B, and the ellipses 149. These mayinclude one or more state emergency communication systems, as well asmany other communication systems of governmental agencies, foreigngovernments, quasi-governmental agencies, etc.

Various types of exemplary communication protocols are illustrated at130 for the smart cell phone 114. These can include pNumbers,conventional telephone numbers, conventional web addresses, GPS locationdata, and other types of communications. The other inputs 110, 112, 116,118, and 120, similarly can have a variety of different types of inputsto the switching cloud 140. It should be noted that, while it is evidentthat the pNumber system easily converts telephone numbers to unique,personal nodes on which telephone messages can be stored, it is alsotrue that the pNumber system can also provide unique, personalized emailand Internet addresses. That is because current email and Internetstandards require that domain names be limited to the ASCII letters athrough z (case insensitive), the digits 0 through 9, and the hyphen.See IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) RFC 1034. Thus, withappropriate governmental and IETF cooperation, a PNumber can also directall emergency emails and web communications to a unique, personalized,and easily remembered email account or web site which will also providethe governmental alerts. Thus, the PNumber communication mode representsPNumber telephone communications, PNumber email communications, PNumberweb communications, and any other communication protocol that can beconverted to pNumbers.

The switching system 140 filters out all of the communications 160associated with pNumbers, including telephone, email, and webcommunications, and directs them to PNumber distribution circuit 180.The distribution circuit preferably includes a message repeater circuit184 which directs the PNumber communications to the appropriate one ofthe storage nodes 190 within the telephone system 170. Each of the nodes190 is capable of providing many products that develop theone-point-of-contact concept. Some of these are illustrated at node 194and include pAlert, the governmental warning system; pHome, whichorganizes the home-oriented messages; pWork, which organizes the workrelated messages; pRetail which organizes shopping; pTravel, whichorganizes travel-related messages; pEducation, which organizes educationrelated messages; and many others. A PButler system 191 provides avariety of interface capabilities, permitting messages to be deliveredby voice, web, email, or any other future communication method.

Similarly, as indicated by ellipses 186, there preferably are otherlocal PNumber distribution circuits located in other local PNumberservice providers 172, which may be local branches of the same telephonecompany that owns local PNumber service provider 170, or other telephonecompanies. As indicated by ellipses 187, there may also be other typesof PNumber distribution circuits 174, such as distribution circuits insatellites, which may be owned by the same company that owns PNumberservice provider 170, or may be other companies, such as a cell phonecompany.

An aspect of the system 100 is the hosting of phone numbers as onlineaddresses. These web addresses can be set up swiftly and in mass, andthen customized by each individual. A related key aspect is that eachelectronic node 190 is controlled by the individual to whom itcommunicates, with appropriate governmental regulation to be sure alertshave priority.

The Sage Connex system permits companies offering phone services,including traditional phone companies, VoIP, and wireless providers tobecome web site hosts and automatically generate a personal home pagewith an array of services that simplify the individual's life.

Another aspect of the system 100 is that it permits detailed geographicspecificity for alerts. Unlike the Internet, geographic specificity isinherent in the organization of phone numbers since the phone numbersare distributed in an organized manner by telephone companies. The alertfor a hurricane can be sent to only the persons likely to be affected,with the persons who are notified changed instantly as the hurricaneveers in a new direction. With appropriate guidance by warning systems,even the erratic path of a tornado can be plotted and warnings directedto persons projected to be within a window, for example a five-minutewindow, of the tornado's arrival. Similarly, alerts for explosions,wrecks with toxic chemicals, and alerts for other potential disasterscan be localized. While this inherent geographic specificity has beendisrupted recently by cell phones which are mobile, the specificity canbe reinserted using GPS locators that are already in the most advancedcell phones. The GPS locators also have other uses. For example, allcell phones approaching a road closure could be alerted.

Another important aspect of the system is that the personal web site foreach telephone number can be accessed from any convenient electronicterminal, including conventional telephones, cell phones, and browsers.Since each node is local, connections and communications are fast andnot subject to the potential issues in long distance communications.Since each contact point is individual, there is no potential forcollapse due to overuse. The PButler interface allows the contact pointto be communicated with by voice, written, or by a visual display.

Various terms useful in understanding the pWorld system include:

-   -   pNumber—generally, a phone number used as an online address for        non-call exchanges.    -   pre-linking—See pSpider.    -   —pSites—websites as programs. The different types of programming        produced for the telesphere network.    -   pSpider—not indexing Internet content, but creating tokens by        connecting content to the activity spaces behind the click        spaces (using header registers).    -   pWorld—the telesphere—a place within the phone system where        non-call communication is received and can be organized and        stored. The space between the devices connected to the phone        system where notions are processed and resolved. Physically, any        digital string with telesphere registers in the header. Together        with its components, they constitute the “improvements in        telephony” system.    -   assembly points—components that process notions into feedback.    -   phone marker—the use of a signal selected from the group        consisting of: a # signal or a * signal interspersed between two        of said alphanumeric signals corresponding to said alphanumeric        telephone number symbols; an Internet protocol address; a        preprogrammed speed dial signal; a signal indicating that any        key has been held down; or any other key or sequence of        keystrokes, code or signals inserted in a dialing sequence        initiating a non-call.    -   phone sites—places where notions are captured and transmitted        and feedback is delivered and displayed, played back, and/or        stored.    -   activity space—a type of telesite which is pre-wired for        performance and achievement. Because they are self-organizing        spaces, it does not need to be specified in advance all of the        features of problems or what feedback is needed in order to see        and hear and perform necessary functions. Living spaces (like        homes), workplaces (like offices), and learning spaces (like        classrooms) have many conflicting, interlinked variables and        broadly defined goals of “making the grade” or “making a        profit.” The properly designed space considers the user, the        activities, and the realities of the work. The essential purpose        of being in the right “space” is to direct the outcome of the        activities.    -   augmented phone services space—a layer in the infosphere        accessible by any device which can access the phone system in        which non-calls are processed.    -   click space—where user notions are converted to digital        representations to be processed into feedback.    -   metaphor space—a virtual space described by a metaphor, e.g.,        the use of home, neighborhood, community, office, work,        classroom, learning, and training metaphors and analogies and        their related graphic elements to organize, store, display,        playback, and “drill-down”.    -   pWorld space—beginning as a point'n′click “souped up” website        and leading to next generation drag'n′ drop environments toward        a kind of virtual environment and finally to virtual reality.    -   strand—a string of data that can be connected, strands are        especially configured for use in the augmented phone services        layer of the infosphere.    -   brandstrand—the personalization of feedback.    -   digital strand—string of data containing content, context,        parameters, and instructions.

A. Data Protocols

There are several layers of rules, protocols, modules, and componentsfor supplying users with their own place online and giving them digitalears, digital eyes, a digital brain and a digital voice. The systemincludes:

-   -   a new augmented phone services layer in the phone system to        handle “webtone” as well as “dialtone”;    -   a new call type: non-calls, a type of digitally-based dialog;        and    -   delivery protocols and modules for the delivery of        content-of-interest and how to deliver it.

1. Phone Services to Augmented Phone Services

The telesphere is a new augmented phone services layer that enablesindividuals, groups, and businesses to utilize phone-based digitalservices easily and productively. Installing it gives users automatedaccess to the Infosphere on a Do-It-Yourself (DW) basis using a“site-fabrication” process to help users personalize and customize theirwebsites and access an unlimited library of phone, data, and webpageadd-ons from which they can design their personal and work life online.

The total system specification encompasses a virtual service above theISP layer and “complex hosting” below.

A new augmented phone service must integrate the phone system and theInternet. To use the vernacular, the augmented phone service mustsupport “webtone” as well as “dialtone”. The protocols and modulessupport both the world of interactivity and the world of connectivity.In one embodiment, “complex hosting” is used in a distributed Internetservice array (DISA).

Complex hosting is the handling of phone and web-based traffic with theequipment and infrastructure needed to set up, host, and operate adigital dialog network. Complex hosting is the infrastructure behind“webtone” components:

-   -   a supply of phone numbers to convert into personal Web        addresses;    -   installation of a “non-call” network appliance server in the        phone network;    -   hosting the personalized exchange of information, audio content,        and video content; and    -   billing information.

The DISA network design details how the DISA model is applied to a phonecompany's standard hosting configuration. The DISA architecture definesfive layers containing the components that deliver digital dialogfunctionality, with a non-call network appliance server supplying the“digital dialog” layer in Layer 4:

-   -   ayer one—security layer—The DISA architecture allows for        strategic deployment of multiple firewalls between the distinct        layers, such as a firewall in front of the load balancing and        application server layers (between layers 2 and 3) and another        between the application and data resource layers (between layers        4 and 5), integrating the network's security components        throughout the system.    -   Layer two—load balancing layer—This layer presents a single        system image in the form of a virtual IP address, representing        multiple Web/applications servers.    -   Layer three—web and application server layer—the phone company's        application servers are the primary hosts for personal websites.        This layer handles the user interfaces and hosts the different        digital dialog sites (“telesites”) users want attached to their        personal web address. In one example of an embodiment, it runs        on Microsoft IIS and Apache, and e-commerce systems such as        Microsoft Site Server and Microsoft Commerce Server.    -   Layer four—digital dialog layer—posting and display of        customized views and messages to personal web addresses is        handled by the network appliance server. It houses an operating        system which integrates session information flow with underlying        stored content or content ready-to-be-delivered-on-demand (JIT        web pages). JIT web pages are made possible with data analytics,        data-mining, and pattern-recognition software built into the        operating system, which also integrates the network's operations        with the domain registries, the telephone network, and the        billing interface. The operating system stores all personal        information, custom data, and links in a user's personal account        in Layer 4.    -   Layer five—data resources layer—the data resources layer is        where the application data is stored, managed, and accessed. The        DISA architecture avoids data replication problems by providing        a highly available centralized file server. This avoids having        to replicate data on application server drives. This layer        contains the database architecture that stores e-commerce data,        such as product catalogues, users' registration information, and        billing and shipping information, etc., as well as storing        personal and custom information in users' personal accounts.

Using mass production techniques embedded in a digital dialog networkappliance server, an augmented phone services layer churns out“telesites” on demand, an industrial-strength manufacturing processwhich can be duplicated in any major telephone services area byregistering large volumes of telephone numbers as domain names. Thesetelesites put web services on the phone bill, and complex hostingintegrates online address registrations and personal portal hosting withprovisioning, billing, and collections.

Furthermore, complex hosting must be able to manage the new phonenetwork across multiple ISPs on both dialup and broadband servicesregardless of whether the ISP is on a landline, cellular, cable, orsatellite network.

B. Calls and Non-Calls

Phone companies currently handle call traffic (voice or image dialog,paging, texting and fax). To handle non-call traffic, however, allincoming content—information and digital dialog—must be reduced totokens, notions, and feedback so that they can be processed in theaugmented phone services layer in the network.

A non-call is a digital dialog. At every click and point in thetelesphere matrix, a “dialog” can be started and maintained using chat,email, messaging, faxback, bulletin boards, blogs, or tele-assistance.These digital dialogs can be one-to-one (assignments, for example),one-to-many (soliciting bids or broadcasting), or many-to-one (anauction) and are facilitated by the digital dialog user interfacesdesigned to manage the exchange of personalized information.

Currently, calls are handled by phone companies and non-calls arehandled by dotcom companies. Both calls and non-calls are interactiveprocesses that involve the exchange of information and the transmissionof content; but in order to handle non-calls, a circuit of notions andfeedback must be created on which digital dialog tokens can beprocessed.

Processing the tokens entering the system is the non-call equivalent of“resolving” the call. Semantic computing techniques are used to matchincoming notions with appropriate feedback (trade secret); but how thetelesphere is set up, the mechanisms within the DISA layer needed tomove tokens through the system, and the description of the processitself constitute a system of resolving non-calls using token-basedcomputing.

The non-calls themselves are phone addressable information thatpreviously passed over the phone system. The key to capturing thisdigital dialog traffic is the ability to divert non-call traffic to a“datapoint”, a place in the augmented phone services layer where thedigital dialog can be processed and delivered. The broad specificationsof this datapoint are:

-   -   delivery to that point must be unique: regulated—secure,        protected—private access, and self-regulated—customizable and        reliable—like the dialtone;    -   use of that point must be unique, depending whether the user is        the addressor or the addressee;    -   access to that point must be unique—the use of the * and # keys        on the telephone keypad and the www prefix in the address line        of a browser;    -   functions at that point must be unique: where tendencies are        expressed and captured as notions, where notions are processed        into feedback, where content is organized, where content is        stored or deleted, where content is displayed or played back,        and where “rules” are applied to incoming content; and    -   the nature of that point must be unique: device independent,        convergent, and custodial.

C. Resolving Non-Calls

In one embodiment, a token-based process of resolving non-calls is used.The process is made up of five intercomplementary sets ofmodules/procedures implemented in a module system:

-   -   Module A—marking non-calls and routing them into the telesphere        to be resolved by inserting the * and/or # key(s) on the phone        keypad or entering www. [number] into the Internet browser.    -   Module B—pre-linking all content in the Internet to digital        “voice” and “visual” interfaces by indexing pointers to their        location with address pointers of an activity matrix, i.e.,        encoding all of this into digital “loops” embedded into the        header registers of all content-of-potential-interest.    -   Module C—converting incoming clicks and interactive voice        functions (IVF) or keypad sequences into notions and augmenting        these notions with “tendencies” gleaned from user profiles and        past activity and/or data mining, i.e., encoding all of this        into digital “hooks” embedded into the header registers of all        active “tickets” (yet-to-be-resolved notions in the telesphere).    -   Module D—assembly point software processes “tokens” (a code set        of data and instructions) using a trade-secret recipe, data        analytics and values in the fields of the header registers,        aligning “loops” to “hooks” to the “phone addresses”, and        assembling “brandstrand” feedback into content-of-interest.    -   Module E—delivery software directs content-of-interest to        digital “ears” and “eyes” (phone-numbers-used-as-addresses) for        immediate feedback, posted to the digital “voice” and “visual”        interfaces, or stored in users' activity matrix to be delivered        later.

It is the resolution of non-calls which allows the system to handle themigration from dialog to digital dialog by enabling the phone system tohandle both calls and non-calls. A process of computing on digitaladdresses mimics the natural tendencies of our minds to associateperceptions with experience in order to formulate responses andbehavior. In the telesphere, however, a “digital mind” (a set of rulesand procedures operating within the connectivity of the phone system)resolves notions and tendencies with information delivery and feedback.The processes that govern our natural behavior and response to impulsesfrom the environment are mirrored by digital “sense organs” and a“digital brain” to automatically and instantaneously associate and linkinformation using the nearly universal phone system.

The five intercomplementary sets of modules are a foundation on which“improvements in telephony” can be made (upgrading telephony to handlenon-calls). In order for the phone system to accept and resolvenon-calls, a select set of inputs, outputs, and processes must bearranged along a complex logic line based on rules and connectivitycalled the “non-call local loop circuit”. Non-calls are resolved by aprocess of attaching incoming notions to tokens which are “pushed” alongthis virtual circuit to a programming point where the tokens are either“delivered” to a call center interface as a message to digital “ears”and “eyes” (an addressable or personal point in the telesphere) or ascontent-of-interest to ISP-hosted digital “voice” and “visual”interfaces (characterized as personal, work, or learning dialog). Eachincoming notion “charges” (or “weights”) a token established at thebeginning of a session to receive and carry it. A transaction ticket iscreated and the token is further charged or weighted by mapping in anyrelevant tendencies. The non-call local loop circuit facilitates asynchronous, asynchronous, or intermittent digital dialog (a two-wayflow of information once a connection has been established) by“balancing” the “charges” (or “weights”) of the notions with theopposite charges of the feedback. (Another way to visualize this processis to think of notions unbalancing the system and feedback balancing itagain.) The real source of the incoming notions originates in the mentalstructure of the user's mind which is matched to an internal structurein the phone system by an activity addressing scheme common to both.When a non-call is originated and a connection is established, thecharged or weighted notions are resolved only by opposite charges orweights: content-of-interest stored in the internal structure of thetelesphere that flows as feedback into the digital dialog exchange. Thiscontinuous flow of inputs and outputs collected and generated by theassembly point processes constitutes any and all forms of digital dialogtraffic flowing in a virtual circuit connecting addressors andaddressees (senders and receivers). The inputs, outputs, and processesof the instant digital dialog mechanism flow over a conceptual“connection” between sender and receiver. This connection is made when aset of datapoints within the system, the activity address matrix, andthe user interfaces are contiguously linked in a digital dialog session:

-   -   inputs—capturing notions;    -   outputs—delivering content-of-interest;    -   processes—processing digital dialog tokens;    -   [data]points—access, addressable, personal, assembly, and        programming (including interrupt and delivery) datapoints;    -   operating system—the software that handles pre-linking, address        processing, matching loops and hooks, feedback assembly, and        delivery;    -   activity address matrix—universal set of computable logical and        physical addresses shared by the system, devices in the system,        and by every user in the system; and    -   interfaces—the digital version of ears, eyes, and voice        presented in a metaphorical form which all users understand        intuitively (e.g., home, office, classroom, alert, bank, etc.),        the tangible forms of “digital dialog”.

1. Inputs

The five intercomplementary sets of modules provide for the capturing ofnotions to be processed into feedback. The following occurrences can betransformed into feedback:

-   -   Internet access;    -   Telephony access;    -   Phone numbers as online addresses;    -   Addressable points;    -   Converting large volumes of unique numbers (telephone numbers,        street numbers, barcodes, ID numbers, etc.) into addressable        points on the Internet accessible by a personal computer (PC),        personal digital assistant (PDA), and/or a phone device;    -   Attaching one or more personalizable and customizable “splash        pages” (personal points) to each addressable point;    -   Capturing notions;    -   Attaching personal points with relevant links to other        addressable points; and    -   Delivering the ready-to-be-hosted personal points to a specially        configured network application server in the Internet service        provider's (ISP) racks at the data center of the phone        companies.

2. Outputs

The five intercomplementary sets of modules provide a means fordelivering content-of-interest to a programming point that directs thecontent-of-interest to either a call center or ISP host includingcontent such as:

-   -   Feedback;    -   Addressing;    -   Delivery;    -   Display, playback, or storage; and    -   Delivering charge information to the billing agent.

3. Processes

The five intercomplementary sets of modules provide components enabledat stepped points in the system to process incoming notions until eachone is resolved, for instance:

-   -   Prelinking Internet and telephony content to an activity address        matrix within the telesphere;    -   Registering phone numbers as phone accessible addresses;    -   URL country suffix for digital country code;    -   Pre-registering numbers and host servers;    -   Programming unique address processes: processes for addressees,        processes for addressors;    -   Accessing the telesphere and processes at a personalized point;    -   The use of phone numbers (easy-to-remember numerical proxies for        and the private property of people) as addressable points in the        telesphere;    -   Combining the operating system and user interfaces to resolve        notions with content-of-interest in such a way as to digitally        mimic the workings of a brain:        -   Digital cognition—the processes responsible for the            awareness of everyday life (feedback), processes which            include memory, experience, perception, and the expert use            of any given syntax (click space); and        -   Association—using digital hooks and loops to mimic a natural            function of the way our mind processes information, that            being our inherent mental ability causing us to associate            and link anything in the external environment (or all            content in the telesphere) that is similar in quality,            characteristics, properties, or traits to anything that            already exists in our mental environment (or            content-of-interest) as a memory or distinction (content            stored in the activity address matrix);    -   Converging different types of digital content for processing by        inserting header registers;    -   Resolving notions by applying, processing, and computing on the        values contained in header registers, separating available        content from content-of-interest, indexing the addresses of        both, marking each of the data strings classified as incoming        content or content-of-interest, appending them with header        registers the contents of which constitute a code of data and        instructions using notions and data analytics to process, sort,        and post output to an “activity address matrix” of “folder”        addresses containing “pointers” to the content-of-interest;    -   Monitoring access and use of all personal and programming        points, and personalizing views and messages;    -   Developing “virtual digital surfaces” to capture notions and        deliver feedback;    -   Processing and sorting incoming content into content-of-interest        using a click, click-point and click-space process that pushes        notions through the system;    -   Resolving incoming notions at an “assembly point” where        “feedback” is assembled by clustering links and sites sent to a        digital interface at an ISP-host or a personal point at a call        center;    -   Packaging feedback for delivery (messages for personal points        and content-of-interest for digital dialog interfaces); and    -   Building web pages “on-the-fly” (HTML+header register for        session use or storage).

4. ‘Data’ Points

The five intercomplementary sets of modules establish and maintain aconnection by passing non-call tokens through various linked “points” inthe system, for instance:

-   -   Telenumbers follow an intercomplementary matrix addressing        scheme for each type of web address. For example, there are        different schemes for phone numbers as web addresses, barcodes        as web addresses, and street numbers as web addresses, etc., but        in general, telenumbers are:        -   Numbers and addresses that are proxies for people, e.g.,            students (at ID addresses), target markets (at street            addresses), taxpayers (at national ID addresses), buyers (at            warranty addresses), and old customers (at ticket number            addresses);        -   Numbers and addresses that are proxies for things, e.g.,            users or owners of machines and parts (at machine and parts            addresses), marriages (at registration addresses), sales (at            point-of-sale addresses), coupons (at buyer's addresses),            and appointments (at calendar addresses); and    -   Telesites are web pages used as programs, with specific preset        configurations for products and services which can change        automatically with incoming clicks or IVF keypad input.

5. Activity Address Matrix

The five intercomplementary sets of modules use an activity addressmatrix to link user's internal mental structure to the physicaladdresses of content-of-interest located at addressors' or addressees'digital devices, the host server, and a server in the Internet or on aremovable device. It is the activity addressing scheme that enables thesystem to associate and link anything that exists in the externalenvironment to anything that is similar in characteristics, properties,or traits to personal, work, and learning activities that already existsin our mental environment. This activity address matrix is locatedbetween users and the content-of-interest stored in matrix folders—likea middleman between clicks and content—enabling users to see and hearinteresting views and messages or have links to content in otherfolders. The activity address matrix is the same for local phone, PDA orPC device, the host network server, remote network server, or aremovable storage device anywhere in the session circuit.

All content-of-interest in the form of data strands (brandstrands anddigital strands) to images, views, messages, and links (pointers toother folders) is stored in a folder labeled with a matrix addressnumber which contains:

-   -   sponsored views, messages, and links;    -   client views, messages, and links;    -   default views, messages, and links;    -   public views, messages, and links;    -   private views, messages, and links; and/or    -   personal views, messages and links.

6. Operating System

The five intercomplementary sets of modules use an operating system thatacts as both a traffic cop and assistant, assembling information anddelivering it to the digital interfaces for display on PDAs or PCs orplayback by piping it through the telephone for users who call in. Theassembly process activates the switches that deliver (or stop) the rightviews and messages from displaying or playing. This high-volumehigh-speed assembly process depends on the following:

-   -   storing content at addresses;    -   performing computations on addresses; and    -   manipulating addresses.

7. Interfaces

The five intercomplementary sets of modules use specifically-designeduser interfaces to anticipate and handle the normal issues of reachingaddressable and personal points in the telesphere:

-   -   Telenumber registration;    -   Telesite selection as the first page people see or can listen        to;    -   Public/private/personal access, passwords, and memberships;    -   Add-ons, commercial connections, and new features;    -   Phone and Internet interfaces to add, delete, change, and save        changes;    -   Display and/or playback of personal data and choices on a phone        device, PDA, or PC;    -   Aggregating data on the same site from multiple sources;    -   Payments and collections; and    -   Supplier relationships and deliverables.

Digital dialog is repeated sessions using the interfaces to createvirtual environments which are built up by the interaction of clickspaces and activity spaces. Behind the interfaces, a click spacecontaining logical addresses travels along the non-call local loopcircuit activating processes resulting in feedback. Any one click spacecan be distributed over many activity spaces (one-to-many). In otherwords, click spaces can be distributed over many addresses in theactivity matrix. Conversely, activity spaces (storing pointers tocontent-of-interest at physical addresses) are many-to-one. One activityspace can be distributed over many click spaces. The interfaces directlycontrol the clicks, click points, and click spaces, instructing thesystem to prepare content-of-interest for immediate delivery to anaddressable or personal point, or storing thecontent-of-potential-interest if a notion is replaced by a tendency andthe user left instructions (solicited delivery) or did not requestdelivery (unsolicited posting).

The user interfaces are essentially metaphors for receiving, displaying,organizing, and storing digital content-of-interest and matching usersto content stored in databases. They activate and control a process fordelivering content-of-interest to online addresses and to an activityaddress matrix that links Internet addresses with content-of-interestand matches this content with what users want to see, hear, and know.

D. pBrain

pBrain is a virtual processor (or “brain”) located within the phonesystem that processes incoming notions so that the proper feedback canbe provided by pWorld servers. Notions are indications by the user of adesired action, and feedback is the result that fulfills the notion.pBrain allows for the interactivity, filtering, and function of thesystem.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a webpage joint network diagram whereproducers/suppliers 320 are connected to buyers 355. Set 305 is thesphere of the supplier/producer, where activities related to theproduction, presentation, and sale of products takes place. Set 310 isthe sphere of the buyer where buying activities take place. In thecontext of the presently described systems and methods, the phonecompany 350 is uniquely positioned to support the intersection of thetwo spheres by providing web addresses correlated to variouscharacteristics of products, orders, and users hosted in web pages 345.

In the context of producers/suppliers 320, sources 310, barcodes 315,seats 316, and part numbers 315 can all be assigned a web address basedon the number or other indicia associated with them. Sources 310,barcodes 315, seats 316, and part numbers 315 are converted intoproducts 325 by the producers 320. The producers 320 generate newinformation 330 about the products 325, and this new information 330becomes an offered product 340. Some portion of the products offered andthe information concerning those products is provided for sale via webpages 345. At a certain point, some products become retired products 335if sales or interest in these products has waned.

In the context of buyers 355, presentations 360 concerning products arereceived by buyers 355. Buyers 355 either make first time orders 365 orrepeat orders 375. In some cases, there may be insufficient demand 370for a particular product. Product orders 380, some portion of which arerealized over web pages 345, is the result of the buyer process. Inorder to make information more accessible to buyers, receipt numbers,ticket numbers, and the user's personal address (pHome) may be createdas web pages.

The theory behind these web pages is that the pBrain virtual processormay process the information stored, received, and exchanged by these webpages in order to make the commerce system and advertising as efficientas possible.

Referring to FIG. 5, in one embodiment pBrain 500 includes a number ofcomponents. pBrain 500 may be designed to be a distributed processingsystem or a processing system with a single location. Network Interfaces510 allow pBrain 500 to interface with a variety of networks using avariety of protocols including, but not limited to, SIP (sessioninitiation protocol), RTP (realtime transport protocol), and HTTP(hypertext transfer protocol). Since pBrain may interface with voicetelephone networks (including PSTN), wireless telephone networks (CDMA,GSM), the Internet, etc., multiple network interfaces may be needed.Processing Cores 520 and memory 540 perform the processing needed toresolve notions into feedback as determined by operating system 530 andapplications 550. Since during high traffic times processing power maybe at a premium, pBrain 500 may also include an optional processingaccelerator 560.

In FIG. 6, one embodiment of pBrain 600 and a simplified view of an IMS(IP Multimedia Subsystem) Architecture is shown. User access level 670shows various access networks including IP network 660 and PSTN 665.Additional access networks are possible including, but not limited to,cable television networks, wireless telephone networks, WI-FI (WLAN),Bluetooth, GPRS, etc. Since PSTN 665 is an analog phone line, in orderto enter a digital environment, the signal is converted to IP. The MediaControl Gateway/Media Gateway 650 serves to convert the TDM signal ofthe PSTN to IP protocol and direct the packets accordingly.

In the control level 655, the CSCF (Call Session Control Function) 640processes SIP requests (session initiation protocol) and routes calls toapplication servers. It is at this point where calls include anindicator for accessing pServers (such as the * or #). The HSS 635 (HomeSubscriber Server) is the central database for subscriber data. Thissubscriber data is provided for the routing of calls. MRF (mediaresource function) 645 enables advanced media capabilities such as audioand video IVR functions, teleconferencing with ad-hoc and group calls,fax reception and forwarding, and the streaming of content.

Service layer 630 is where the functionality and the pHome, pWork,pEducation, etc., sites reside. p*Servers 610 serve as hosts for thevariety of pHome, pWork, etc., sites. The App Server/pBrain 615 and 620provide for the functionality of the system.

FIG. 7 shows how notions are captured, and FIG. 8 shows how notions areconverted to digital feedback. A notion is originated through the IMS710 and to App Server/pBrain 720. pBrain 720 converts the notion into anencoded notion 730. This process involves receiving click stream,textual, or voice input (or key pad inputs) and converting it into aformat that may be easily processed. As shown in FIG. 7, the encodednotion includes a header and a register with fields such as logicaladdress, physical address, response, data/time, from, content type,tags, geolocation, etc. These fields are simply one example of thepossible fields that may be included in the encoded notion. The requestsof the user may be converted according to a number of techniques. In onealternative, the words or text may be interpreted and broken down intocategories of requests and indicators. This breakdown may be facilitatedaccording to an interactive process through click stream, textual, orvoice interaction with pBrain 720. For instance, a user may say orselect a category of queries, such as “find restaurant”. In order tonarrow choices and provide an accurate response, the pBrain 730 utilizesadditional queries of the user. User history and current information(such as geolocation data) of the user may also be utilized andretrieved through the p* Servers 740. It may also determine, forinstance, what restaurants are open so a closed restaurant is notsuggested based on the time of the request and so on. The encoded notionmay then be fulfilled by the pServers 740 by delivering content or otherresponse.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment for how a notion is resolved and feedback isreturned to the user through IMS 850 (IP Multimedia Subsystem). Anencoded notion 810 reaches p*Server 820, which as described above may bea pHome server, a pWork Server, etc. Personal Preference Database 830 isaccessed to provide additional information about the user including, butnot limited to, user profile information, user history, collaborativefiltering information (history of those with similar profiles), etc.This combined information then is returned to the pBrain 840 (or AppServer) where the information is resolved. Then the p*Server is used tofulfill the notion by retrieving the proper content. Then theinformation is transferred back to the user through IMS 850. In oneexample, the encoded notion 810 geolocation information and the userpreferences contained in Personal Preference Database 830 may includegenre preferences of the user for movies, so that, when the userrequests information about available movies, only movies that can bewatched or obtained near the user's geolocation are returned and thelist of movies is either limited to or sorted according to the user'sgenre preferences.

FIG. 9 shows an example of converting Header Registers into the contentand populating the header registers with pointers. The example is thetagging of content and insertion into the Activity Matrix—in this case,voicemail from a friend. Insertion into the Activity Matrix meansregistration and storage at the intended recipient's pHome. In oneexample, a call enters the IMS 910 from an individual wishing to leave avoicemail for a user having a pHome at p*Servers 960. The CSCF 920 (CallSession Control Function) controls the call and obtains routinginformation from the HSS 930. The call is routed to the user's pHome atp*Servers 960. At p*Servers 960, it is determined how to handle thecall. In this case the p*Servers 960 have instructions for delivering acustomized greeting to the individuals. A number of alternatives areavailable, however, including, but not limited to, the rerouting of thecall, ignoring the call, sending a notification to the user throughanother medium and network that the individual is calling them, as wellas providing options to the individual for a desired response, etc. Thecustomized greeting is returned to the individual, utilizing the MRF 940and IMS 910. The individual leaves a message and a notion is createdwith a partially filled Header-Register. The Header-Register is sent toand received at the pHome Server at p*Server 960.

FIG. 10 shows an example of content tagging for insertion into anActivity Matrix. A notion is received through the IMS 1010 and, in orderto fulfill that notion, the notion is processed by the pBrain 1015. Thedigital dialog established by the pBrain 1015 is then sent to p*Servers1020 with a partially filled-in Header Register. The Personal PreferenceDatabase 1030 stores preferences concerning this content, and a logicaland physical address is filed in for the content. This is stored in theGlobal Activity Matrix 1040. The Notion 1050, which is logical andphysical address information, then is provided to the user's PersonalContent Storage Database 1060 and the user's Personal Activity Matrix1070. Although this content is provided to these other locations, in oneembodiment, the logical and physical address remains the same. In thisway, duplication of data can be reduced, since in many cases multipleusers will access the same content. In Personal Content Storage 1060,the content is grouped with other content for recall and feedback. InPersonal Activity Matrix 1070, it is grouped with content related tosimilar activities.

By recording some level of non-personal information in Global ActivityMatrix 1040 about the content, matches for future users will beimproved. Examples of such information may be related to collaborativefiltering, location filtering, preference filtering, profile filtering,etc.

II. PSTN and Phone Company Integration

The pWorld system interacts and provides value for traditional phonecompanies in many ways.

Internet—A huge additional revenue stream for the phone companies willbe Internet registration fees of pHome, pWork, pEd, etc., sites that arebased on the user phone number. Since augmented phone and data serviceswill be channeled through the phone companies, the phone companies willget to “mass register” domains (phone numbers) to provide the “digitalhomes” for people. There will be flat monthly fees, registration fees,and additional service and bandwidth fees. All of these provideadditional revenue for the phone companies.

Applications—These are run via the application servers in the IMS. Theapplication servers then interface to the pWorld network, providingaugmented and new services. The application servers have direct accessto existing digital services that are provided by the phone companies(voice mail, call records, greetings, etc.). As such, these can beseamlessly integrated into new applications provided on the pWorldplatform. Now that “calls” can now be diverted to the “non-call”network, custom greetings, messages, and special options can bepresented to callers on an individually tailorable basis. Access toapplications, services, and data are classified as “public”, “personal”,or “private”, where personal information can be shared on a controlledbasis, information deemed public is accessible by anyone, and if it'sprivate, that information or service is available only to thepWorld/pHome owner.

Billing—As applications are run and content is moved (P2P,Pay-per-download, free downloads, etc.), service and bandwidth chargesare accrued. These charges are then reflected on the monthly phone billsof the pWorld users. Currently, the phone companies are only performing“offline charging” where billing occurs only at the end of the month.pWorld could now enable “online charging”, dynamic, or real time billingand services that were previously not possible, thus providingadditional revenue streams. This will work for both pre- and post-paidparadigms. In the prepaid content, pay-as-you-go billing may be used,where a user's account balance is queried and it is required that theuser have sufficient finds available, either directly or indirectly,through credit, account-linking, fill-up, etc. The IMS supports allthese options.

Security—The IMS provides rudimentary security against spoofing andprovides basic privacy, but doesn't go far enough. Additionalauthentication measures are necessary if the user tries to access anycontent or applications that have not been deemed public. Authenticationmeasures will be available such as PIN, password, digital certificates,and securID. Since most phones contain multiple sensors (audio, video,GPS, accelerometers, keyboards, touch-screens, etc.), input from thesesources can be used to provide additional authentication measures suchas facial, voice, and gesture recognition. Additionally, the pButler canbe configured to provide challenge-response authentication (asking forresponses only the true user would know the answers to). Some featuresand functions may only be available at certain authentication “levels”.

Non-call interface—“non-calls” are distinguished by a “*” or “#” key inthe phone number. These are calls coming in via the PSTN, not the IPnetworks. As seen in:http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/webservices/library/ws-soaipmultisub1/,the PSTN gateway of the IMS is routed to the CSCF (in the control IMScontrol plane) which handles SIP registration of the end points andprocesses SIP signal messaging of the appropriate application server inthe service layer. The “*” and “#” key are encoded in the SIP stream(from the PSTN gateway) and decoded and routed via the CSCF. The IMScontrol layer consists of potentially many components working together,but in presently provided examples, combined operation is clumpedtogether as a single operator.

Non-call servicing—Assuming the caller is not accessing over the IPinterface (via computer, smartphone, etc.), but using the phone companyinterface, the call stream (which has been converted from analog to VoIPvia the PSTN gateway) is tagged with various pieces of information usingfields in the header registers. These headers are constructed in thepWorld application server and provide a place for additional informationto be attached to a digital dialog. Initially, the header informationmay be sparse, containing only date/time, a dialog identifier, phonenumber of caller, and perhaps some identifying information associatedwith the caller (gleaned from database lookups about the phone number).There might also be coordinate (GPS) information also available. If thecaller is unknown or has no special significance, the pButler willrespond with a default greeting. This greeting may contain options forthe caller which have been pre-arranged by the pHome Owner. These mightinclude “leave a message”, “hear my auction items”, “listen to my newpiece of music”, “hear my latest tweets”, etc. Responses then arecollected by the pButler, and the appropriate action is activated. Thetransaction is then logged (for the pHome Owner), and any specialbilling operations are performed (say, if the Owner charged forlistening to their music).

If the caller is identified as the pHome Owner (by the phone they arecalling from—weak authentication), additional options could be madeavailable by the pButler, including an option to strongly authenticate,which could allow even more available features. These options andfeatures would have been set up via a web interface.

FIG. 32 shows an example of the flow of interactions with atelecommunication company. A plain old telephone service non-call isrouted from the IMS to the application server in step 3205. In step3210, the non-call is converted to digital dialogue. In step 3215, thedigital dialogue is tagged with call information. In decision step 3220,it is determined whether the caller is known to the Owner of the pHomethat they are accessing. If not, in step 3225, a default greeting isissued and default options are offered. In step 3235, a response isgathered and then the corresponding action is taken in step 3245according to the rules of pButler. In decision step 3250, it isdetermined whether additional actions are required and, if so, flowreturns to 3225. If not, in step 3255, the dialog is terminated andcleanup operations are performed. In step 3260, the call is logged andterminated.

If the call is known to the pHome Owner, then a friend greeting isissued and options are offered in step 3265. In some cases, the greetingand options may be extensively customized to the visitor. In step 3270,a response is gathered and then the corresponding action is taken instep 3275 according to the rules of pButler. In decision step 3280, itis determined whether additional actions are required; and in step 3285,options are reissued. If no additional actions are required, in step3255, the dialog is terminated and cleanup operations are performed. Instep 3260, the call is logged and terminated.

These services and options augment the phone companies' abilities andmake the phone network more attractive to users, especially since theirphones and Internet now have common interfaces.

III. pALERT

Access to the pWorld servers is via a special tier of pAlert servers.These servers act as “firewalls” to eliminate unauthorized access.Access to the pAlert servers may be via dedicated lines, generalInternet, etc. Access control can be performed by IP filtering,passwords, X509 certificates, biometrics, and other well-recognizedsecurity features.

Once access to the pAlert servers has been established, several piecesof data need to be specified to create an alert. This includes the typeand nature of the alert (and may be implicitly defined by the type ofaccess credentials), the geographical area (geofencing) for which thealert is valid (this may also be implicitly defined by accesscredentials), and any other special demographic data that may be used tomore closely refine the target audience of the alert. There are twobasic types of alerts: non-optional and optional (opt-in or opt-out).

Once the type/nature and geographic region has been defined, then ageneral (usually terse) message must be specified. Additional mediaelements (audio, text, video) may also be made available by the issuerof the alert and targeted to specific geographic areas so that userswithin specific areas may be provided with additionalresources/information.

This information may be entered/uploaded manually, or provided by an API(application programming interface) to the pAlert servers.

Once the alert information has been entered, depending on the type ofalert, additional authentication/authorization measures may be requiredbefore the alert is actually issued to the pWorld servers (especiallytrue of non-opt-out alerts).

Once the alert has been validated and constructed, the pWorld serversare notified; and, if the alert is optional, then user-preferences arechecked to see if users have chosen to “opt-out” of the alert; if so,then no further action is taken for that user. If, however, the alert isof a non-opt-out nature, or the user(s) have chosen to accept the alert(opt-in), then those users within the geographic area are notified viatheir contact preferences/mechanisms (phone, PDA, pager, etc.). For nonopt-out alerts, if cross-company agreements are in place and geolocationinformation is available (via their cellphone or PDA), then alerts mayalso be sent to users that are found to be in the geographic areasspecified by the alert.

Billing information is maintained by the pAlert and pWorld servers sothat the alerting entities are properly billed. If the service is“opt-in”, then the user may also be charged a fee (to show up on theirphone bill).

FIG. 4 shows one embodiment of message flows in the pAlert system.Government/Emergency Services 460 which are non-opt out and AncillaryServices 470 (opt-in or opt-out) may originate messages and send them topAlert Servers 450. Ancillary services 470 may include services such asweather reports, traffic reports, etc., that are not vital to survival.The pAlert servers 450 may have application firewalls or othersafeguards to ensure only authorized messages are allowed. Messages thenproceed to the pWorld Servers 440 where they are stored in variousp*Sites such as pHome and pAlert. Users 410 may then access the storedalerts through various IMS 420 and Application Servers 430.

pAlert Types and Natures

As mentioned previously, different types of pAlerts may be of an opt-in,opt-out, or no opt-out nature. Examples of no op-out pAlerts couldinclude emergency notifications for local disasters, criminal activity,or specialized government (local and federal) messages.

Local disasters might involve weather-related phenomenon such astornadoes, hurricanes, and severe storms. Other examples includewarnings about fires, floods, earthquakes, chemical spills, industrialaccidents, bio-toxin releases, terrorist activity, and food/water supplycontamination. Criminal activity warnings might include “amber alerts”,prison escapees, gang activity, robberies, home invasions, and the like.Specialized government messages might include information that iscurrently mailed (jury duty, court dates, renewal notices, etc.) but ismore efficiently and less costly to handle electronically. As newspapersare failing across the country, new methods need to be created forpublic notices; these might also be handled via pAlerts. From thefederal level, critical announcements can be distributed quickly.

Opt-in pAlerts are those which the pWorld user has specificallyrequested. These might include stock market prices, ticket availabilityfor events, coupons from favorite stores, invitations to special events,notifications of “trigger” activity (an item in a classified ad orauction appears, cruise line price falls below a specific threshold, afriend twitters on a specific topic, auto dealers selling cars3-for-one, etc.).

General Classes of pAlerts

-   -   Critical/Emergency (no opt-in)    -   Solicited (opt-in)    -   Unsolicited (can opt-out)

To allow control over solicited and unsolicited pAlerts, it is assumedthat each general class has a plethora of subclasses, allowing the userto “drill down” to whatever level-of-detail they desire about pAlerts.The user then can search or specify more or less interest in particularalerts. For example, at the highest level, the user might opt-out of allunsolicited alerts. However, they may choose to “drill-down” and onlyallow pAlerts from a select group of local grocery stores orrestaurants.

pAlert Feedback

One of the unique things about pAlert is the ability to provide feedbackto the pAlert provider about whether or not the users have received thenotification (or did it simply go-to “voice mail”). Feedback can begathered from the user about the pAlert and returned to the pAlertprovider. This feedback may take several forms: free-form text, a pollresponse, or even multimedia elements that the users upload, providingstatus or additional information about the situation they are in.

A. Exemplary System

FIG. 11 shows a basic system design for the pAlert system (FIG. 2 alsoshows an embodiment of the pAlert system). The pAlert system is designedto get messages from Public Safety Official 1110, Automated IncomingAlert Server 1115, and subscribers 1125 to PDA 1145, cell phone 1150,smart phone 1155, and computer 1160. Various networks may need to benavigated in order to get messages to all of these devices, such as ISPdata centers 1135, pager network 1130, and wireless carrier 1140.Although the embodiment shown primarily targets mobile devices, in otherembodiments, PSTN phones, etc., may be included.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a weather event. The information provided onmap 1210 and in keys 1220 and 1230 is exemplary of that which isavailable during weather events. Other non-weather emergencies may beincluded in the alerts provided by this system. NOAA and the NationalWeather service may issue such alerts. As is clear from the map 1210, apotential day 1-3 track area 1240 is clearly provided by NOAA. As partof the pAlert system, a geofenced area may be created to match the trackarea 1240 and then those parties in the track area notified of theapproaching storm. In the context of FIG. 11, certain messages may go towireless customers whose geolocation data shows that they are within thegeofenced area of the storm. The geolocation information may be garneredfrom the pButler system, since the pButler system has access to thepHome and other p*Site information.

FIG. 13 shows another map 1310 relating to a storm event. In this case,geofenced area 1320 is depicted as the area of subscribers who willautomatically receive storm event warnings. As shown in FIG. 14, pAlertscan take the form of various shapes such as the corridor 1420 shown inmap 1410. In this case, the corridor 1420 approximately flows in thedirection of a highway, but various and irregular shapes are possiblefor geofencing. In this case, the pAlert is for an accident on thehighway that has been geofenced. Despite being shown as a corridor orrectangle, the pAlert geofenced area could use the shape of the highwayas a base and capture all area within some set distance from thehighway.

In FIG. 15, the map 1510 shown has an oval shaped area 1530 geofenced.This area is reflective of the diffusion and flow (due to wind) ofairborne contaminates emanating from plant 1520. This type of geofencedarea is based on the premise that the geofenced area need not be purelygeometric shapes or distances from landmarks, but instead can rely onmathematical analysis in order to determine the area to be geofenced.Further, the area to be geofenced can rely on historical data, culturalnorms, preferences, etc. In the case of traffic, those who requesttraffic information about a certain road can be notified whenever thatroad experiences traffic.

FIG. 16 shows a wireless device and the determination that the device isin a certain area based on triangulation using wireless towers. Varioustechniques may be used to determine the location of mobile users,including GPS. Additionally, direction of travel may be determined anddestination predicted based on the direction of travel and historicaldata for the user and the population in general.

Authentication of messages may be important to the reliability of apAlert system, since false messages may reduce confidence in the system.FIG. 17 shows an exemplary embodiment of an authentication process. Instep 1710, a provider accesses pAlert via an API (applicationprogramming interface). In step 1715, an initial authentication occursusing SSH (Secure Shell) and IP (Internet Protocol Screening). In step1720, the pAlert provider is authenticated via provider number andpassword. In step 1725, a PKI (private key infrastructure) signed andencrypted payload is uploaded containing the pAlert data. In decisionstep 1730, if pAlert does not require additional authentication, apAlert is issued in step 1735. In step 1740, feedback is gatheredaccording to users' reaction to the pAlert. Additional information inrelation to the pAlert may be gathered and used to better inform thosereceiving pAlerts or to direct emergency personnel.

If the alert does require additional authentication, then the flowproceeds to step 1745 and the pAlert provider is contacted. If thepAlert is approved at step 1750 after interaction with the provider,then the flow continues to the previously explained step 1735. If thepAlert is not approved, then in decision step 1755, it is determinedwhether fraud has been detected. If not, then the flow proceeds to step1760 and no action is taken. If fraud is detected, then new credentialsare issued in step 1765, since the system has been compromised. Theprocess then finishes at step 1770.

FIG. 18 shows an exemplary embodiment of a pAlert process. In step 1810,an alert is initialized at the pAlert servers. In step 1815, the alertis authenticated and sent on. In step 1820, relevant informationrelating to the pAlert is gathered. The relevant information may relateto numerous factors, including historical data relating to pAlerts orprevious disasters in the area of the alert. In step 1825, it isdetermined whether the alert warrants additional authentication. If yes,in step 1826, the additional authentication is requested. Whenadditional authentication is received (or if no additionalauthentication is needed), the flow continues to step 1830. The alertprocess is determined for each applicable user. In step 1835, it isdetermined whether the user can opt out of the alert. Certain alerts,such as those for natural disasters, may not be opted out of. Theopt-out process is ordinarily handled by the pButler system. In step1855, the user's opt out preference is checked; and if the user optsout, then the alert provider may be billed in step 1860. Not all alertproviders must be billed for providing a pAlert.

If the user cannot opt out of the alert or chooses not to, then in step1840, the user is notified of the alert according to the user contactpreferences. In step 1845, user feedback is captured concerning whetherthe pAlert was received or retrieved by the user. In step 1850, thepAlert provider is billed.

Iv. Applications and Content

A. pHome

A user's online home may become his entry point for managing manyaspects of the user's life including, but not limited to, social,financial, family, scheduling, etc. With the inclusion of the relatedpWork and pEducation, the p*System may provide the user with thatcontact point.

FIG. 19 shows an example of an online home. The online home 1900includes the user's website 1910 as the interaction point and the restof the world 1920. The web 1930 is the point of intersection between theuser's website and the rest of the world. The telephone company 1940 cansupport this interaction by providing pHome websites and interactionthrough PSTN lines and voice calls as well as the Internet.

The user's websit1 1910 includes a variety of identification numbersincluding, but not limited to, telephone numbers 1905, street numbers1906, ID numbers 1907, employee numbers 1908, page numbers 1909, etc.All of these items are identifying information about the user that iseasily remembered for easy access to the user. All of these numbers andother identifying information may be used to create various p*Websites.The public domain information 1950 is registered at address registry1945. Some of those addresses are converted into personal web addresses1955. These become landing pages 1965, a portion of which are availableover the web 1930 to visitors. The user may design their own website atwebsite design module 1960.

The rest of the world 1920 contains various add-on pages 1922 that maybe accessed via the web 1930. Complementary web pages 1923, specialofficer 1926, and the library of web pages 1921 may feed into the pagesthat become add-on pages 1922, as well as clients 1924 may visitclients' websites 1925.

The Owner's Experience

Essential to creating the sense of pride and control is the ability topersonalize (control) the home. Essential to personalization is ease ofuse. The pHome product delivers a virtual home owned and personalized byits Owner.

Ironically, the pHome provides an easy method of defining andcontrolling aspects of our real lives, such as a to-do list or calendarappointments. The pHome lifestyle is the synthesis of real life andfantasy that enables the Owner to be organized, efficient, and betterinformed about social and commercial activities of interest to theOwner.

FIG. 20 shows an example of a pHome interface. As is shown in FIG. 20,the house is made up of a number of rooms. The user may perform a numberof actions such as adding or naming rooms, sharing folders or printersin the user's home network, or perform a number of tasks within a room.

FIG. 21 shows some of the various ways pHome may be accessed. Theprimary access points of a user are the mobile phone, a computer, and aPSTN telephone. As shown, a user in traffic 2110 may utilize his cellphone to contact pHome 2150 through telephony network 2120. Further, auser may utilize a computer or other Internet-capable device to accesspHome 2150 through Internet 2140. Finally, a user may use a PSTN phone2160 to access pHome 2150. In all of these cases, the pButler is thereto greet the user.

FIGS. 22 and 23 show an alternative embodiment of a pHome space. Inaddition to the two dimensional representation depicted in FIG. 20, thepHome space may be presented in a three-dimensional representation. Eachroom may present a variety of features to the user. For instance, thekitchen may have recipes stored, message boards, and family calendar.The den may have to-do-lists, work contacts, and newsfeeds. As shown inFIG. 22, the lighting gadget 2230 may control the lighting in the house.The computer gadget 2220 may allow access to email, calendar, andpreferences. The radio gadget 2210 may control music in the home orelsewhere. The video screen gadget 2240 may provide for messagingfeatures, video calling, etc.

In FIG. 23, a depiction of the user is shown in the room. The forger inthis example contains a message board 2310 that can provide alerts,messages from family, and opt-in advertisements. The exit 2320 mayserver either simply as a way to leave the pHome, or as a gateway to thepHomes of others or other accessible sites. The message board 2310 mayalso contain location information for family members or others who haveauthorized the tracking and reporting of their location. Navigationbuttons 2330, 2340, 2350, 2360 are used to rotate the user's view andnavigate around the pHome. In FIG. 24, an example of a map showing thegeolocation of a family member is shown. Infobox, 2410, 2420, and 2430all represent the geolocation of family members. This geolocation datamay be based on a reported location of the user by the user, aGPS-determined location based on the user's wireless phone or device, ora triangulated version based on triangulation using cell phone towers,and any other methodology used to determine location of a user.Additional information may be available about the family member (orother individual) including the name and activity of the place they arevisiting, how long they have been there, whether they are answeringcalls, etc.

pHome may also include the ability to offer items for sale through thepublic view of the pHome. This public view may be indexed so that it iseasily searchable and accessible. pHome may also include lightingchanges base on the time of day and a pButler having a digital corporealembodiment.

FIG. 25 shows an interface for customization of a user's pHome. Forinstance, as shown, the user can manage the guest list and accessprivileges for the guests. The user may configure voicemail, email,calendar, to-do list, message boards, and may remodel portions of thehome.

FIG. 26 provides an overview of how the pHome system works. Two of theprimary modes of connecting to pHome are through either a telephone2610, which provides a voice interface, or through a web browser 2615.In alternate embodiments, other contact points and networks arepossible, such as cable TV with set top box, etc. (see above). Fromtelephone 2610, a message from the user is passed to telephony gateway2620 and then to the Voice Browser/ASR (Automatic SpeechRecognition)/TTS (Text To Speech) 2625. Then VoiceXML module 2651provides standardization for interactivity with pBulter 2661 andprovides the interface language. pButler is the main contact point forall interactivity of the system. On the web browser side, requests fromWeb Browser 2615 travel to web server 2645 which are handled by aHTML/JS (javascript) module which provides interactivity and interfacelanguage. Requests then are routed to pBulter 2661 where they may beresolved.

pButler 2661 allows access to voicemail 2662, email 2663, calendar 2664,To-Do List 2665, content 2666, Virtual Address book 2667, and outboundalerts 2668. Request to pBulter are processed through the model layerwhich contains system resources and information. The various modules arein the model layer provided for generalizations and activities. Models(objects) are provided for the subscriber 2671, a message 2672, events2673, action items 2674, and Internet Content Gateways 2675. Variousmodules are provided for performing tasks, those modules including:authentication 2681, user profile and rules 2682, message store 2683,2684, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol 2685, relational databasemanagement system 2686, and scheduling 2687.

FIG. 27 shows additional detail about the structure of a pWorld system.Users may access the system via class 5 switches 2725, 2715 (a telephoneswitch or exchange located at the local telephone company's centraloffice, directly serving subscribers) and then via VoIP Gateways 2720,2730. Non-calls then are routed (via the Internet) to Softswitch/SessionBorder Controller 2735. A Voice Browser 2740 provides an interface forthe user and utilizes Grammar/Prompt Server 2745 and Automatic SpeechRecognition/Text To Speech server 2750 to process language and provideunderstandable responses. The application servers 2755 provide theactual interactivity through voice browser 2740 and may rely onadditional servers for interactivity, including Lightweight DirectoryAccess Protocol 2765, Message Store 2760, and database 2770.

Building and Remodeling

The pHome Owner constructs, furnishes, maintains, and remodels theirpHome. The Owner can build rooms that mirror real rooms such as kitchen,living rooms, utility rooms, garage, home office, etc. The Ownerfurnishes each room with usable personal objects such as message boards,telephones, desks (with tools such as calendars and to-do lists).

Habitation

Once the pHome is set up, the Owner uses the personal objects and toolsin each room. Thus, the Owner can pay bills, communicate with family, orcreate a honey-do list in pHome.

The Owner can even command their trusted, ever-attentive,always-available servant, pButler(web) to accomplish tasks.

Entertaining Guests (Private Social Networking)

Because the Owner can entertain in their pHome, it is the nextgeneration of social networking: private social networking. The Ownercan formally invite Guests or allow them access to unsecure rooms on anad hoc basis. pHome establishes a single point of contact for those whowant to get in touch with us. It represents a new dimension of socialnetworking that provides a more personal experience than “Facebook” and“MySpace”. pHome serves as a communications center for friends andfamily to send and receive messages in voice, video, or text format.

pHome Guests are greeted and guided through the home by the Owner'spButler(web).

Commercial Networking

On an opt-in basis, the pHome Owner can allow online andbrick-and-mortar merchants belonging to pWorld to post coupons inspecific rooms based on predefined Owner interests. In addition tocoupons, the Owner may elect to receive targeted text or videoadvertising. The Owner predefines the characteristics of the desiredtext and video advertising, eliminating junk mail or spam. In oneexample a Fridge interface may be included. The Fridge interface keepstrack of the items used and identifies when items need to be reorderedor adds them to a shopping list.

Access to pHome

There are several methods for Owners and Guests to enter the pHome. Eachof the following access methods features Owner-defined security:

-   -   Online access via computers—Owners and Guests may use a PC and a        browser to access pHome as they would any website. This access        method will provide the richest visual experience for those        entering pHome.    -   Online access via handheld devices—Owners and Guests may use a        handheld device with a graphic display to access pHome. This        access method will provide a minimalist visual experience for        those entering pHome.    -   Voice access via telephony devices—Owners and Guests may use        voice-enabled devices to access pHome. This access method allows        Owners and Guests to use pHome features and access pHome        information by directing the Owner's trusted assistant pButler        via voice commands.

Product Consumers (Users, Actors)

This section identifies the types of people and systems that use theproduct and the reason they use the product and reason for usage. Thissection establishes the relative priority of each user type.

User Type Reason Owner A person subscribing to the pHome service - the“Owner” of the pHome. Trusted Guests Family, friends and businessassociates who have greater visitation rights. Guest Visitor to theOwner's virtual home Merchants Send the Owner targeted alerts when theOwner opts in to a pHome sponsored advertising program.

Competitive Analysis

The competitive analysis is a comparative evaluation of existingproducts, indicating the competitions' strengths and weaknesses. Thecompetitive analysis identifies attributes of the proposed product thatovercome competitor's strengths or exploits the competitions'weaknesses.

Competition Strengths or Weaknesses Comparative Analysis 3D SocialNetworks Strengths: Because they are pHome fosters a deep sense(LivelyGoogle, SecondLife, established, they have of ownership. etc.)become the de facto standard pHome represents another for socialnetworks. dimension to social Weaknesses: They are public networks. Itprovides users social networks with limited with the ability to designand user control and control their private social personalization.network. pHome enables commercial networking.

Product Definition

This section provides a detailed description of the product features andfunctionality.

Summary of Product Features

The table below summarizes the product features. It establishes therelative priority of each feature and its allocation of the projectbudget.

Relative ID Feature) Priority Fe-01 pHome personalization (control).Owner has the ability to: 1 Construct and remodel the pHome according totheir designs. Furnish each room according to their preferences. CreatepButler(web) persona according to their preferences. Fe-02 PrivateSocial Networking (Entertaining). The Owner may allow 2 Guests to visittheir pHome. This is the social networking component of the pHomeexperience. The Owner predefines Guest roles. Each role would havedifferent levels of access. A Trusted Guest may have access to all ofthe pHome rooms and limited access to pHome gadgets. A regular Guest mayhave access to a single pHome room and view- only access to a limitednumber of gadgets. pButler(web) ensures Guests comply with the rules ofthe pHome. Fe-03 Private Commercial Networking. The Owner, using message3 boards existing in each room, may opt to receive commercial alerts(advertising) from pBiz vendors. The commercial alerts are posted onbulletin boards in the appropriate room type (e.g., car part alertsposted on the pGarage bulletin board. Fe-04 Controlled Public SocialNetworking. The Owner may choose to 4 allow the public into their pHometo view personal artifacts, such as family pictures. In pHome, the Ownercan limit public access to specific rooms. Fe-05 Access to email. TheOwner uses their email from pHome. 5 Fe-06 Access to voicemail. TheOwner uses their voicemail from pHome. 6 Fe-07 Access to text messages.The Owner uses text messaging from 7 pHome. Fe-08 Access to pHomealerts. The Owner receives personal alerts from 8 family, friends, andcoworkers in pHome. Also, the Owner receives commercial alerts in pHome.Fe-09 pHome assistance. The Owner and Guests are assisted by 9pButler(web). Fe-010 pHome is initially a two-dimensional experiencethat will evolve 10 into a -D web experience as -D tools, applications,and production environments mature.

Use Case Model

The following sections employ use cases to describe how the productbehaves in response to systematic stimulus and user stimulus.

The table below summarizes the product user functions identified in theuse case model of FIG. 29. The pHome product 2900 primarily has actorsOwner 2910 and Guest 2920. The interaction of these parties and theaccess provided to them is primarily managed by rules module 2970. Theuse case maps to a feature.

Use Case, Part Number Function (User Actor) Feature HO UC-01 Enter pHome(Owner and Guests) 2930 The Enter pHome use case defines thefunctionality required to control access to the pHome. The Enter pHomefunctionality applies rules previously defined by the Owner using thepWeb interface to determine which rooms and which pHome capabilitiesGuests can access and use. HO UC-02 Occupy pHome (Owner) 2925 The OccupypHome use case defines the functionality available to the Owner oncethey access pHome. The Occupy pHome functionality applies rulespreviously defined by the Owner using the pWeb interface. HO UC-03 UseEmail 2940 The Use Email use case defines the functionality enabling theOwner to use email. The Use Email functionality applies rules previouslydefined by the Owner using the pWeb interface. HO UC-04 Use Voicemail2945 The Use Voicemail use case defines the functionality enabling theOwner to use voicemail. The Use Voicemail functionality applies rulespreviously defined by the Owner using the pWeb interface. HO UC-05 UseCalendar 2950 The Use Calendar use case defines the functionalityenabling the Owner to use the calendar. The Use Calendar functionalityapplies rules previously defined by the Owner using the pWeb interface.HO UC-06 Use To-Do: List 2955 The Use To-Do List use case defines thefunctionality enabling the Owner to use the pHome to-do list. The UseTo-Do List functionality applies rules previously defined by the Ownerusing the pWeb interface. HO UC-07 Use Message Boards (receive alerts)2960 The Use Message Board use case defines the functionality enablingthe Owner to use the pHome message board. The Use Message Boardfunctionality applies rules previously defined by the Owner using thepWeb interface. HO UC-08 Visit pHome (Guests) 2935 The Visit pHome usecase defines the pHome functionality available to a pHome Guest. TheVisit pHome functionality applies rules previously defined by the Ownerusing the pWeb interface.

Logical Components Descriptions

-   -   Switch—the telephony network element that provides the pHome        Owners and Guests access to the network and routes calls to        pButler(IVI). Switching functions are beyond the scope of the        pHome product.    -   pButler(IVI)—the pButler(IVI) provides the voice access        capabilities for pHome. The pButler(IVI) product is specified in        the pButler(IVI) Vision Document.    -   Webserver—the webserver provides the execution environment that        hosts the portlets (portal gadgets) that interact with the        pWorld applications and data.

FIG. 30 shows an embodiment of pHome 3025 and its interactions withpWorld 3040 and the Real World 3005. Interactions with pButler 3020provide the main interface for the user through switch 3015. The tablebelow provides the descriptions of the components identified in thelogical architecture diagram.

WBS Component, ID part number Description 1.1 Portal Server 3031 Theapplication layer of the webserver that hosts the pHome gadgets. 1.2Voicemail Gadget The gadget that interacts with the voicemail 3032server. 1.3 Email Gadget 3033 The gadget that interacts with the emailserver. 1.4 Calendar Gadget The gadget that interacts with the calendar3034 application. 1.5 To-Do List Gadget The gadget that interacts withthe to-do list 3035 application. 1.6 Message Board The gadget thatinteracts with the message Gadget 3036 board application. 1.7 SearchInfo Gadget The gadget that enables information searches 3037 withinpWorld on the Internet. 1.8 3-D UI Engine 3029 The 3-D UI Engine is anapplication that renders information from the webserver in 3- D.

Participating Systems/Data Sources [WBS ID 2.0]

The table below provides the descriptions of the data sources identifiedin the logical architecture diagram.

WBS System/Data Source, Part ID Number Description 2.1 Voicemail Server3041 pWorld voicemail server 2.2 Email Server 3042 pWorld email server2.3 Calendar Application 3043 pWorld calendar application 2.4 To-Do ListApplication 3044 pWorld to-do/task management application 2.5 MessageBoard Application 3045 pWorld message boards 2.6 Search InformationApplication Information sources internal 3046 to pWorld or external onthe Internet

Interface Descriptions [WBS ID 3.0]

The table below provides the descriptions of the interfaces between thecomponents identified in the logical architecture diagram.

Part Number Description 3051 Browser-based, 2-D access path to pHomeinformation. 3052 Browser-based, 3-D access path to pHome information,3053 Two-way voice communications interface between the Owner's handsetand the service provider's switch, This interface is beyond the scope ofthe pHome product. 3054 Two-way external voice communications interfacebetween the service provider's switch and the pButler(IVI) product. 3055Two-way interface between pButler(IVI) and the pWorld applications/datasources. Refer to the pButler(IVI) product vision document for thedescription of the interfaces. 3061 Two-way messaging interface betweenthe pHome voicemail gadget and the pWorld voicemail server. Thisinterface implements a handoff to the voicemail system. 3062 Two-waymessaging interface between the pHome email gadget and the pWorld emailserver. The interface supports the following interactions: Check emailSave email Respond to email Delete email This interface implements theAPI of the email server. 3063 Two-way messaging interface between thepHome calendar gadget and the pWorld calendar application. The interfacesupports the following interactions for calendar appointments: Retrievereminders Save Delete Reschedule This interface implements the API ofthe calendar application. 3064 Two-way messaging interface between thepHome to-do list gadget and the pWorld to-do list application. Theinterface supports the following interactions for to-do list management:Create Mark as complete Save Delete This interface implements the API ofthe to-do list application. 3065 Two-way messaging interface between thepHome message board gadget and the pWorld message boards. The interfacesupports the following interactions for using message boards: Checkmessages (alerts) Save messages Post a message response Delete messageThis interface implements the API of the message board application. 3066Two-way messaging interface between the pHome message board gadget andthe pWorld message boards. The interface supports the followinginteractions for using message boards: Check messages (alerts) Savemessages Post a message response Delete message This interfaceimplements the API of the message board application. 3067 Two-waymessaging interface between the pHome search gadget and pWorld orInternet information sources. This interface implements the API of theinformation sources.

2. pButler

Overview pBulter

pButler is an enhanced voice portal that allows telephony serviceprovider's customers to use their own phone number and voice commands toaccess the pHome services such as online messaging, e-mail, voicemail,calendaring, to-do list, etc. The pButler also provides the user withpredefined alerts of interest such as personal scheduled events,commercial scheduled events, advertising alerts, and emergency alerts.The following diagram demonstrates a simple scenario in which a pHomeSubscriber uses voice-based interactions with a telephony network andpButler to access the information in their pHome.

The following table describes the actions labeled in the sequencediagram of FIG. 31. The sequence diagram is broken into two sections:the call pButler section 3110 and the command pButler section 3120. ThepHome Owner 3125 goes through the sequence described below ininteracting with pHome 3140 through switch 3130 as moderated by pButler3135. The sequence diagram demonstrates the interactions noted in the“Improvements to Telephony” patent description defining a method ofcommunicating non-call messages over a telephone network.

Seq ID Action Remarks 3141 Owner call accesses telephony The customerdials the pWorld escape sequence. service provider's Switch. A Eachphone number is associated with its twin e- “Switch” is wireless orwireline number (a phone number with a marker in it). equipment thatconnects the caller's telephony device to a network, analyzes call setup data, and routes the calls through a network. For the purpose of thisdocument, the “Switch” represents the aggregation of signaling, call setup, routing, and trunking. 3142 Switch analyzes dialed digits. Looks fora *- or #-key (“coded signal”) in the Identifies call as a call destinede-number. for pWorld. If found, open the switch to a “predetermineddigital circuit” (non-call local loop circuit). 3143 Switch sends callinformation to Setup a transaction token (“non-call pButler as thefundamental information signal”) to enter the local loop electronic nodedesigned to circuit. process voice-based interactions Each tokenactivates a discrete and selected set with the Owner. of nodes in thelocal loop circuit. A method wherein said predetermined digital circuitincludes a plurality of electronic nodes, each of said electronic nodesassociated with a telephone number, and said connecting compriseselectronically linking said switch to the one of said electronic nodesassociated with said selected telephone number. 3144 pButler identifiessubscriber. A method for registering each of said electronic Determinesaccess rules based on nodes to a specific user. the Owner profile. 3145pButler responds via the voice Default pHome “machine” voice channel toSwitch. Requests the subscriber's password verbally. 3146 Switchforwards request unaltered. 3147 Switch delivers pButler verbal responseto subscriber. 3148 Owner responds with password: Speaks the responseor; Enters appropriate digits via keypad. 3149 Switch forwards responseunaltered. 3150 Switch delivers response to pButler. 3151 pButler teststhe accuracy of the Owner profile contains pButler personality traitsresponse. If accurate, pButler: such as voice. Loads Owner profile.Prepares greeting from Owner profile. If inaccurate, pButler: Preparesretry message. 3152 pButler delivers results to Switch. 3153 Switchforwards results unaltered. 3154 Switch delivers message to subscribervia voice channel. 3155 Owner speaks a pButler Example: “What is my nextappointment?” command 3156 Switch forwards the pButler commandunaltered. 3157 Switch delivers the command to pButler. 3158 pButlerprocesses the request: A method selecting non-call information signalsRecognizes the command passing through said network based on (e.g., acalendar request). instructions provided by said specific user; andFormulates a pHome service storing said selected non-call informationquery based on the signals at the electronic node registered to saidspoken command. specific user. 3159 pButler sends the request to theappropriate pHome service (e.g., calendar). 3150 pHome servicedetermines A trade secret method to assemble, via software response(e.g., identifies the processes, “tokens” (a code set of data andOwner's next appointment). instructions) and assembling feedback intoFormulates the response to content-of-interest. pButler. 3151 pHomesends the query results to pButler. 3152 pButler reads the queryresults. A method to direct content-of-interest to digital “ears” forimmediate feedback, posted to the digital “voice” interface. 3153pButler speaks the response. 3154 Switch forwards the response unalteredvia the voice channel. 3155 Switch delivers the response via the Owner'shandset.

Use Case Descriptions

The table below summarizes the product user functions identified in theuse case model of FIG. 32. The primary actors are Owner 3215 and Guest3220 whose differing permissions and interactions are moderated bypButler 3210 using the rules module 3250. System switch 3255 providesfor access to various networks such as the PSTN or wireless network forvoice based non-calls or the Internet. The use case maps to a feature.

Use Case Function (User Actor) Feature Bu(I) Call pButler UC-01 The CallpButler use case defines the functionality required to 3235 allow pHomeOwners and their Guests to contact the Owner's pButler fromvoice-enabled devices. The Call pButler use case includes thefunctionality necessary to identify, authenticate, and authorize calleraccess to pHome. The Call pButler functionality includes the ability todistinguish Owners from Guests. The Call pButler use case defines thefunctionality required for the caller to establish and maintain adialogue with the pButler. The Call pButler functionality includes theability for the Owner or the Guest to experience a personalized versionof pButler. The Call pButler functionality uses rules defined by theOwner to process calls. Bu(I) Process Caller Commands UC-02 The ProcessCaller Command use case defines the functionality 3240 enabling pButlerto understand, process, and respond to commands voiced by the pHomeOwner or Guest via voice- enabled devices. The supported commands allowthe caller (based on their identity: Owner versus Guest) to usevoicemail, email, calendar, to-do list, and message boards. The ProcessCaller Commands functionality uses rules previously defined by the Ownerusing the pWeb interface to pHome. Bu(I) Use pHome Voicemail UC-03 TheUse pHome Voicemail use case defines the functionality 3241 required forpButler to direct the Owner's call to the voicemail application. Once inthe voicemail application, the Owner exercises the voicemailcapabilities provided by the voicemail platform. Bu(I) Use pHome EmailUC-04 The Use pHome Email use case defines the functionality 3246enabling the pButler to retrieve new messages from the Owner's emailapplication and read them to the Owner. The Use pHome Email capabilitiesalso include the ability to save, delete, and respond to an email. Bu(I)Use pHome Calendar UC-05 The Use pHome Calendar use case defines thefunctionality 3245 enabling the pButler to retrieve appointmentreminders from the Owner's calendar application and read them to theOwner. The Use pHome Calendar capabilities also include the ability tosave, delete, and reschedule an appointment. Bu(I) Use pHome To-Do List(Activities Matrix) UC-06 The Use pHome To-Do List use case defines thefunctionality 3244 enabling the pButler to retrieve tasks from theOwner's To-Do list and read them to the Owner. The Use pHome To-Do Listcapabilities also include the ability to create a new task, mark a taskas complete, and save or delete tasks. Bu(I) Use pHome Message BoardsUC-07 The Use pHome Message Boards use case defines the 3243functionality enabling the pButler to retrieve new messages from theOwner's message boards and read them to the Owner. The Use pHome MessageBoards capabilities also include the ability to save, delete, and post aresponse to a message. Bu(I) Search for Information UC-08 The Search forInformation use case defines functionality 3242 enabling pButler tosearch pHome and Internet sources for information of interest to theOwner. The Search for Information functionality uses search criteria andsearch rules previously defined by the Owner using the pWeb interface.The Search for Information functionality uses the pButler(IVI) locationawareness feature to filter location-related search results. Bu(I) CallOwner UC-09 The Call Owner use case defines functionality enablingpButler 3225 to communicate with the Owner via voice or text to advisethe Owner of events of interest such as the receipt of an email orvoicemail from a predefined entity. The Call Owner functionality usesrules previously defined by the Owner using the pWeb interface.

In addition to the use cases described in the table, the Call Owner usecase 3225 may be extended by Use Cases 02-07 3230.

Logical Components Descriptions

-   -   Switch—the telephony network element that provides the        Subscriber access to the network and routes the Owner's call to        pButler(IVI).

FIG. 28 shows an embodiment of pButler and its interaction with the RealWorld 2810. pHome Owner 2815 through switch 2820 interacts with pHome2830 through the pButler 2840 interface. The table below provides thedescriptions of the logical components identified in the logicalarchitecture diagram as shown in FIG. 28.

WBS ID Component, part number Description 1.1 Speech Application Server2841 The execution environment that hosts the speech applicationmodules. 1.2 Dialogue Module 2842 Software that implements the buildingblocks of the call flows (prompts and responses). 1.3 InteractiveSession Controller A software component implementing the 2843pButler(IVI) call flows/application logic. 1.4 Speech InfrastructureServer The execution environment hosting the 2845 speech infrastructuremodules. 1.5 Speech Recognition Module A software component capable of2846 recognizing and responding to speech questions and commands thatvary in complexity from simple words such as “yes” and “no” toidentifying single items within lists of over one million items (e.g.,as directory services). 1.6 Speaker Verification Module A softwarecomponent capable of matching 2847 the caller's password with thecaller's voiceprint of the password to confirm who is speaking withpButler. 1.7 Speech-to-Text and Text-to- A software component enablingpButler Speech Module 2848 Owners and Guests to: (Speech Server) Talkdirectly to applications such as email, a to-do list, or calendarwithout human intervention. Hear information from online, text-basedapplications without human intervention.

Participating Systems/Data Sources

The table below provides the descriptions of the data sources identifiedin the logical architecture diagram. The data sources primarily residein pWorld 2850.

WBS ID System/Data Source Description 2.1 Voicemail Server 2851 pWorldvoicemail server. 2.2 Email Server 2852 pWorld email server. 2.3Calendar Application 2853 pWorld calendar application. 2.4 To-Do ListApplication 2854 pWorld to-do/task management application. 2.5 MessageBoard Application 2855 pWorld message boards.

Interface Descriptions

The table below provides the descriptions of the interfaces between thecomponents identified in the logical architecture diagram.

Part Number Description 2861 Two-way voice communications interfacebetween the Owner's handset and the service provider's switch. 2862Two-way external voice communications interface between the serviceprovider's Switch and the pButler. 2863 Two-way messaging interfacebetween the pButler(IVI) speech server and the pWorld voicemail server.This interface implements a handoff to the voicemail system. 2864Two-way messaging interface between the pButler(IVI) speech server andthe pWorld email server. The interface supports the followinginteractions: Check email Save email Respond to email Delete email Thisinterface implements the API of the email server. 2865 Two-way messaginginterface between the pButler(IVI) speech server and the pWorld calendarapplication. The interface supports the following interactions forcalendar appointments: Retrieve reminders Save Delete Reschedule Thisinterface implements the API of the calendar application. 2866 Two-waymessaging interface between the pButler(IVI) speech server and thepWorld to-do list application. The interface supports the followinginteractions for to-do list management: Create Mark as complete SaveDelete This interface implements the API of the to-do list application.2867 Two-way messaging interface between the pButler(IVI) speech serverand the pWorld message boards. The interface supports the followinginteractions for using message boards: Check messages (alerts) Savemessages Post a message response Delete message This interfaceimplements the API of the message board application.

3. Filtering Information—Content to Content-of-Interest

The purpose of making a non-call is to satisfy a notion. Notions are notsatisfied (or “resolved”) by content but by “content-of-interest”, aparticular form of content that receivers have paid for and senders havepaid to have delivered.

People are hungry for more and more information. What they are lookingfor is content-of-interest. This ongoing pursuit of content-of-interestis the force behind the growth of bookstores, libraries, schools anduniversities, newspapers, magazines, trade shows, much of sports andentertainment pursuits, weather, news, traffic, and educational TV,email, Internet searches, downloading and online chat, hobbies,do-it-yourself projects, phone calls, mobile phones, and text messaging.

The urge to know, share, and exchange content-of-interest is filling upthe infosphere where digital devices, processors, and routers help keepus connected to the information we increasingly depend on in order tolive, work, and learn. The described system is a way to accelerate theacquisition of content-of-interest. It is an inexpensive and practicalway to maximize and manage information flows.

Content-of-interest (COI) is digital content which has been specificallyrequested or solicited and/or pre-delivered as “default” informationthat data analytics software has determined likely to be of interest toan augmented phone service subscriber. COI is the inventory provided byaddressees and addressors which is processed by the system intoappropriate multimedia feedback (what people want to see, hear, andknow).

For any system/method to turn content into content-of-interest, threebroad requirements must be met. The entire system and its processes are:

-   -   intrinsic—that is, all rules, procedures and behavior of the        system for handling the conversion process must be deduced from        the system itself;    -   procedural—that is, the method of converting content to        content-of-interest is done through consistent application of        general rules and procedures that shape the internal order of        the system—its inputs and outputs; and    -   contextual—that is, that the process used to generate, identify,        and deliver content-of-interest is fair (rule-based),        transparent, and consistent.

Following these broad specifications, the systems and methods generateand deliver content-of-interest in the augmented phone services layer ofthe telesphere, an area above the ISP layer that offers an automatedself-designed portal for hosting, message addressing, and delivery whichcan be linked by the customer's telephone number, reached by mobile andlandline telephones, paid by fee, monthly subscription, annualregistration, and delivery charges while relying on alliance partnersfor billing, infrastructure, and customer acquisition.

V. Profiling/Tendencies

Tendencies are actions, choices, or preferences that a user makes mostoften. They might be what blogs are read daily, sites visited,most-often called friends, pizza most often ordered, or the type orgenre of music listened to. The idea behind understanding tendencies isto be better able to serve individual users with action, activities,and/or content that is desired by the user. The BIG IDEA is to beconstantly presenting the user with interesting and useful content(“content of interest”) so that their experience of the pWorldenvironment is dynamic, vibrant, and pleasantly surprising (fun).

Tendencies or preferences are gathered in a number of ways. When theusers sign-up for a pHome, they are given the option of running througha series of surveys to help the system “better understand” the kinds oflikes and dislikes the person has. If there are a number of people at apHome (i.e., family members), each person would have different sets oftendencies. Information about tendencies is also inferred by the choicesthe individuals make. If a person orders pizza without onions, we mightinfer they don't like onions. Ordering clothes with certain colorsyields other preferences. If the clothing sizes of a person is known,then offers that don't include those sizes can be dismissed (unless theyare actively searched for, as in the case of gifts). Actions oroperations that are repeated often then are dynamically arranged so thatmost-often performed/requested outcomes are presented in highlyaccessible fashions or used as “default” values. Data from publicsources is also used to better understand the users. This could includecensus data, data from county and state records, and Internet searches.

The tendencies of individuals over time yield a “digital persona” thatcan also be used to predict what they may like or dislike based onsimilar tendencies of others. Grouping or classifying tendencies isimportant to be able to bound predictions to limit over-generalization.A number of machine-learning technologies exist for classifying,including Neural Networks, Support Vector Machines, and Bayesianclassifiers. Privacy of personal information is very important.Individual preferences are kept encoded and usable only to pWorldproprietary algorithms. This information is also kept on machines thatare not directly accessible by the Internet. Information is also neversold to outside sources. If an outside agency desires to reach aparticular demographic, the content is accepted by pWorld/pHome and madeavailable to users only if their preferences indicate potentialinterest. If the user responds to an offer, marketing success can bedirectly tracked, and the customer relationships can be monitored forpotential abuse. Of course, users can always alert pWorld support toundesired market advances, which helps maintain high qualityrelationships with providers (since their access to pHome customers canbe terminated).

In all cases of the above-described embodiments, the results of any ofthe transformations of data described may be realized by outputting theresults by transforming any physical or electronic medium available intoanother state or thing. Such output includes, but is not limited to,producing hardcopy (paper), sounds, visual display (as in the case ofmonitors, projectors, etc.), tactile display, changes in electronicmedium, etc. The foregoing description of the embodiments of the systemsand methods has been presented only for the purpose of illustration anddescription and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the systemsand methods to the precise forms disclosed. Numerous modifications andadaptations are apparent to those skilled in the art without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the systems and methods.

Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to betaken as a limitation on the embodiments of the present invention. Inthe drawings, the same reference letters are employed for designatingthe same elements throughout the several figures.

Unified Modeling Language (“UML”) can be used to model and/or describemethods and systems and provide the basis for better understanding theirfunctionality and internal operation as well as describing interfaceswith external components, systems, and people using standardizednotation. When used herein, UML diagrams including, but not limited to,use case diagrams, class diagrams, sequence diagrams, and activitydiagrams, are meant to serve as an aid in describing the embodiments ofthe present invention but do not constrain implementation thereof to anyparticular hardware or software embodiments. Unless otherwise noted, thenotation used with respect to the UML diagrams contained herein isconsistent with the UML 2.0 specification or variants thereof and isunderstood by those skilled in the art.

The embodiments of the systems and methods can be included in an articleof manufacture (e.g., one or more computer program products) having, forinstance, computer useable media. The media has embodied therein, forinstance, computer readable program code means for providing andfacilitating the mechanisms of the present invention. The article ofmanufacture can be included as part of a computer system or soldseparately.

1-82. (canceled)
 83. A method for providing an online home for a user,the online home presented to the user and visitors via a plurality ofinterfaces, the method comprising: (a) presenting to the user aplurality of virtual rooms, each room having predefined characteristicsand functions; (b) presenting a plurality of virtual objects, eachobject having predefined functions and characteristics; (c) providingaccess to the online home to the user via a variety of access networkingincluding the Internet and a voice telephone network; and (d) receivinginputs from the user and activating functions of the plurality ofvirtual rooms and the plurality of virtual objects.
 84. The method ofclaim 83 wherein the inputs are text inputs by the user.
 85. The methodof claim 83 wherein the inputs are click stream data input by the user.86. The method of claim 83 wherein the inputs are verbal commands of theuser.
 87. (canceled)
 88. The method of claim 86 wherein the inputs arereceived via a voice telephone network.
 89. The method of claim 83wherein the presenting of (a) and (b) is realized by spoken word. 90.The method of claim 89 wherein the spoken word is computer generated.91. The method of claim 83 wherein the presenting of (a) and (b) isrealized by a GUI.
 92. The method of claim 83 wherein the user maymodify the predefined characteristics and functions of the plurality ofvirtual rooms and the plurality of virtual objects. 93-99. (canceled)100. The method of claim 83 wherein a default setting includesdisallowing the access of commercial entities. 101-120. (canceled) 121.A method of creating a phone web system, said method comprising:providing a plurality of telephone numbers; mass registering with aninternet address registrar a plurality of internet addresses, each ofsaid plurality of internet addresses including one of said plurality oftelephone numbers, each of said telephone numbers being the telephonenumber of a phone web user; providing a server computer; and hosting aplurality of web sites on said server computer, each of said web siteshaving one of said plurality of internet addresses including one of saidtelephone numbers.
 122. A method as in claim 121 wherein each of saidinternet addresses is of the form www.[number] where number is one ofsaid plurality of telephone numbers.
 123. A method as in claim 121, andfurther comprising providing a processing unit on said server computerand providing on said server computer a computer-readable mediumproviding instructions for directing said processor unit to permit auser of said phone web to customize said web site having a web addressincluding said user's telephone number.
 124. A method as in claim 123,and further comprising, upon customization of said web site by saiduser, billing said user for use of said web site on a regular periodicbasis.
 125. A method as in claim 121, and further comprising permittingsaid phone web user to customize said web site via telephone using voicecommunications.
 126. A method as in claim 121, and further comprisingproviding on said web site the geolocation of one or more of the familymembers of said phone web user.
 127. A method as in claim 121, andfurther comprising providing a processing unit on said server computerand providing on said server computer a computer-readable mediumproviding instructions for directing said processor unit to perform oneor more of: providing a governmental warning system; organizinghome-oriented messages; organizing work-related messages; organizingshopping-related messages; organizing travel-related messages; andorganizing education-related messages.
 128. A phone web systemcomprising: one of more server computers; a plurality of web sitesmaintained on said one or more server computers, each of said web siteshaving an internet address including a telephone number, each of saidtelephone numbers being a different telephone number of a differentuser; and wherein each of said plurality of web sites can be accessedvia telephone by dialing said telephone number of said user.
 129. Aphone web system as in claim 128 wherein each of said internet addressesis of the form www. [number], where number is one of said plurality oftelephone numbers.
 130. A phone web system as in claim 128 wherein saidone or more server computers includes a processing unit, said one ormore server computers further include a computer-readable mediumcontaining instructions for directing said processing unit to customizesaid web site having an address containing the telephone number of saiduser upon receiving customization input from said user.
 131. A phone websystem as in claim 128 wherein each of said plurality of web sitescomprises a personal web site for a phone web user having thecorresponding telephone number and said personal web site is accessiblefrom any convenient electronic terminal, including conventionaltelephones, cell phones, and browsers.
 132. A phone web as in claim 121wherein said one or more server computers include a processing unit, andsaid server computer includes a computer-readable medium providinginstructions for directing said processor unit to perform one or moreof: providing a governmental warning system; organizing home-orientedmessages; organizing work-related messages; organizing shopping-relatedmessages; organizing travel-related messages; and organizingeducation-related messages.